POULTRY INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 August 1939, Page 3

POULTRY INDUSTRY

INCUBATOR TERMS AND MEANINGS. Addled. —An egg in which the germ started to grow but subsequently died because of weakness or unsuitable incubator conditions. Ail’ Space.—The space, normally at the large end of an egg, which contains air and is divided from the yolk and white by a firm membrane. Artificial Incubation. —The hatching of eggs by an incubator. Capsule. —The circular or square liquid-filled metal casing held upon the stirrup two inches above the eggs. It expands and contracts with the effect of high or low temperature. Carbon Dioxide. —The gas given off from eggs during incubation and which must be dispersed by efficient ventilation through the machine. Chipping.—The fracture of the shell made by the chick during its escape between the twentieth and twentyfirst day. Clears.—Eggs which are infertile (see below). Cooling.—The purposeful leaving of the eggs out of the machine (after turning) in order to emulate the action of the broody hen when it leaves the nest for its daily feed. Dead Germs. —Eggs in which the germ has died (see addled above). Felts. —One or two squares of thick felt kept beneath or upon the chick drawer in order to retard the quantity of air passing through the machine. Fumigation.—Disinfection of the interior and air of an incubator by the use of a gas usually produced by the action of 1 | fluid ounces of formaldehyde acting upon 60 ounces of potassium permanganate. Humidity.—The amount of moisture carried in a given quantity of air, this moisture being necessary for the proper development of the embryos within the eggs. Hygrometer.—A wet-bulb thermometer which registers the degree or percentage of humidity (see humidity, above). Infertile.—An egg containing no fertilised germ, and which cannot possibly produce a chick. Insulation. —The special material packed in between the double walls of an incubator or incubator house for the purpose of preventing escape of heat and admission of cold. Oxygen.—The life-giving element in fresh air which is vital for the life of the growing chicks within the eggs. Turning.—The necessary reversal of the position of the eggs in the drawer in order to exercise the embryos and provide even heating to all parts of the eggs. Unabsorbed Yolk. —A yolk which has failed to have been drawn into the chick’s body just prior to hatching.