AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 



In a perfect hatch the chicks begin to pip the 

 shells on the twentieth day, and all are out by the 

 What to do at end of the twenty-first day. Hatches 

 Hatching Time abnormally early or late are not de- 

 sirable, as the chicks are not so strong and thrifty 

 as those that hatch at just the proper time. The 

 more nearly simultaneously a hatch comes off, and 

 the quicker the hatch cleans up, the better. The 

 best hatches I ever had were those that reminded 

 me the most strongly of popping corn. 



As a rule it does not pay to help chicks out of 

 their shells. A chick that has not sufficient strength 

 and vitality to free itself from the shell without 

 aid does not deserve aid, for it will scarcely survive 

 many days, or if it does, it will not amount to much, 

 but probably will always be a runt. Then, aside 

 from this, it is always more or less harmful for the 

 attendant to interfere at hatching time. If the hen 

 is disturbed she is likely to move around and tram- 

 ple on strong chicks that would otherwise have 

 fared all right. With an incubator, a frequent 

 opening of the doors at hatching time is bad prac- 

 tice, because this allows the cold outside air to blow 

 in over the weak, wet chicks, chilling them and dry- 

 ing out the air and absorbing a large part of the 

 moisture that is very essential in the hatching 

 chamber at this time. 



However, I find that it usually is a good plan to 

 open the incubator doors when the hatch is about 



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