Hatching under Hens 121 



now and then, unless she resents it, as she will 

 grow more friendly, and her chicks will be easier 

 to handle. Scary hens have wild chicks, and 

 wild chicks are hard to develop in the right 

 way. 



The date when the eggs were covered should be 

 set down, and after the eighteenth day the sitting 

 hen should not be disturbed in any way. The 

 chicks will frequently begin to appear about the 

 twentieth day, and hatching may continue dur- 

 ing two days more. Hens differ in this respect as 

 they do in many others. Some will leave the nest 

 on the twenty-first day, but most mothers will 

 wait a day or so to give every egg a fair chance, 

 and leave with her brood about the twenty -second 

 or -third day. 



There are varying opinions regatding the wisdom 

 of helping chicks out of the shell when they seem 

 unable to break forth themselves, but the principle 

 is well understood; any chick which is strong enough 

 to be valuable is strong enough to break his shell. 

 There are exceptions to every rule, and now and 

 then a chick might be liberated from a tough shell 

 that would be worth while. At the same time 

 the hen usually resents interference, and the harm 



