HATCHING. 



Fifteenth day Organs, vessels, bones, feathers, closely approach in ap- 

 pearance to the natural state. 



Eighteenth day Vital mechanism nearly developed, and the first sign of 

 life heard from the piping chick. 



Twentieth day The chick makes the above appearance. 

 Twenty-first day The chick breaks the shell, and in two or three hours 

 after is quite active and lively. 



Some succeed in breaking the shell in an hour, while others take 

 a longer time, the time of incubation being twenty-one days, at 

 which period you should expect the chickens to be appearing ; 

 but should any of them be heard in the shell, for twelve hours 

 after they should come out, you will have to assist them, by 

 breaking the top of the shell ; and if found to be glued to the 

 shell by the white of the egg, the bird must be assisted to extricate 

 itself, by the most gentle means, and but at small intervals, at a 

 time, and during a lapse of from twelve to twenty hours no 

 hurry, no violence. 



The day of their exclusion from the egg, the chickens do not 

 want to eat, but should be left in a clean and comfortable nest. 

 The next day they may be put into a coop or basket, with some 

 clean and comfortable lining, and fed with soaked bread and milk, 

 and egg boiled hard, and chopped fine ; pure water is essential. 

 When about a week old, turn them out in the sun, of a dry day, 

 for a short time, and feed them with oatmeal, curd, chopped egg, 

 and bread crumbs, with chickweed or lettuce cut small. When 

 a fortnight old they may be permitted to follow the hen, where 



