78 Assistance in Hatckin^. 



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" This assistance, which is so rmportant 

 to many chickens, might prove fatal to 

 others ; for which reason I w^oiild advise 

 the reader not to attempt it in too great a 

 hurry. My opinion is, the facility of co- 

 ming out of their shells, ought not to be 

 procured to any but those which have been 

 near four-and-twenty hours together, with- 

 out getting forward in their work. There 

 are chickens, as I have already observed, 

 which shew too great an impatience to peck 

 tiieir shells, and do it before the yolk is en- 

 tirely got into their body : it would prove 

 fatal to those, where they enabled to come 

 out of their shell a few hours after they have 

 pecked it, although they would be never 

 the worse for it afterwards, if no yolk 

 WERE LEFT OUT OF THEIR hodi/^ at the in- 

 stant of their coming out of the shell. How- 

 ever, it is generally better to let the chicken 

 come out of the shell of its own accord : for 

 in that case, he is hatched only when his 

 limbs have become sufficiently strong, and 

 when they have assumed in the shell a consis- 



