Classroom Project HAL

Hello all! I have been asked to help with a class project at the local high school. I will post pictures and more information on this...

Why not create a HAL of it? And those who have hatched in class before, share your stories, tips and tricks!

I was recently asked to help out with a local high school’s egg hatching project. It is for Biology, and I learned that they will be having a genetics unit 2016. I decided I should see if I could make this a genetics project.

I could do this two ways, sex-linked chickens or BBS(blue, black, splash). Sex-linked chicks can sexed by whether or not they have a spot on their heads, it is 99.9% accurate. For BBS, if you cross a black chicken with a blue chicken, you get 50% black, 25% blue and 25% splash.

I could not find any BBS breeds this time of year for less then $60 and the only sex-links I could find where Legbars(pretty expensive). I didn’t really want to spend a lot of money as 1) things can go wrong in a classroom 2) I won’t be keeping the chicks.

After doing more looking, I settled with My Pet Chicken. I got a 10% discount since I am a member on Backyard Chickens(valid for a limited time). I also really want eggs soon so the chicks wont hatch when it is too cold. So I didn’t want to get a breed that is in high demand. So I got the “Eggs for Education” pack. Maybe I will end up getting a sex-linked chick. They should of the week of 10/12/15, but the 12th was Columbus Day so the Post Offices where closed. The ended up coming on the 19th. They weren't held at Post Office so their ride was quite long.

My eggs! I am happy I didn't have to wait till Tuesday; the carrier may have not been back till after hours.

@My Pet Chicken kept their word on Sex links, I got 4! (Is a barred OE a sex link? If so they 5 SLs). They provided an extra too.

They all have a saddle like cell thing, the cell rolls but only near the fat end. I blame the PO for that. They where a little porus too,

I am happy with MPC!


Packaging. Started to open the one on bottom right...

Day 13: 7/7 are still developing.

Anyone else who wants to do this, I recommend setting Tuesday. That way, days 18 & 19 are Saturday and Sunday. And day 20 is Monday and you may see pips!

Day 20: two pips and maybe three internal, hard to hear.

I am excited!

BSL and Ameri-Flower. The teacher told me the students in the two hours they hatched named them. The blue female( ) is Pablo and the flower is Americium.

Here is the other blue link female ( double !). Hatched when I was picking up the two above. Left her there for tomorrow.