Hatching in Classrooms

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kupi99 said:
Can I join up if we just set our eggs today? I've been hatching eggs in preschool classroom for years!

We've already had one big mishap- I didn't put the fan back in the bator the right way when I was cleaning it last year. So I thought it was working when it wasn't. I've got it going now, and am hoping to see development in the next few days.

Crossing my fingers as we are getting down to wire for the school year ending.
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Good luck with your hatch! I use cheap Styrofoam incubators and they work great...nothing fancy so yours should be fine!
 
The 8 chicks hatched in my son's preschool will be moving to a farm tomorrow. They are beyond happy with the whole unit.

Meanwhile, I hatched some chicks at home (set 15 eggs on the same date) as back-ups in case of a preschool mishap. I just put an ad on Craigslist to sell them. In 5 days, I only have 4 chicks (out of 14) left! One of the buyers happened to be a K-1 teacher. Her unit did not go as well. 0 hatched - shipped eggs. I guess I'll be getting another teacher calling me for eggs next year.
 
Faraday40 said:
The 8 chicks hatched in my son's preschool will be moving to a farm tomorrow. They are beyond happy with the whole unit.

Meanwhile, I hatched some chicks at home (set 15 eggs on the same date) as back-ups in case of a preschool mishap. I just put an ad on Craigslist to sell them. In 5 days, I only have 4 chicks (out of 14) left! One of the buyers happened to be a K-1 teacher. Her unit did not go as well. 0 hatched - shipped eggs. I guess I'll be getting another teacher calling me for eggs next year.
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Wow! NICE!!! My bantam cochin chicks are getting big fast! My ducks hatched.....4 days early!!!! They were supposed to hatch May 5th and they started Sat...May 2nd and all 12 were out by sunday night....impatient duckilings
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I spent most of the weekend in my classroom
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They are ADORABLE though...post pics soon!
 
Is anyone still hatching eggs in the classroom? Any issues to consider? I am talking with the local school about offering this project to several districts. I use homemade coolerbators and never considered that the school wouldn't be able to use them. I saw the grant post and wonder if you guys charge for the hatch (eggs/incubator and brooder use/information and learning) and if so how much? I began with offering to hatch for the local parent resource center that we attend but then my daughters pre-K class was interested and my sons's 2nd grade class.......
 
I hatch in the schools, but I consider it more volunteer work for fun. Allergies are a big consideration, so a quick letter to parents to find out if there might be a problem is always wise. Most of the schools have their own incubators, so I just sell them the eggs and help them out. I also go in a few times:
1. deliver the eggs, check or set up incubator, show kids the colors of diff eggshells
2. visit with a hen for kids to pet, talk about basic chicken vocab, & candle to show development (bring clear eggs to show differences)
3. stop by sometime on hatch day
4. if they have no use for the chicks, I take them back here & sell them.

Most teachers give me about $20-25 for the eggs, plus all the cute little thank you cards, photos, etc. Then I get back a little money for whatever price I sell the chicks. That price depends on what purebreds or mixes hatch. The thermometers, shavings, feed, and other brooder supplies all come from the teachers, but I'm nearby in case they run out & need a cup of feed or have a weak chick in need of TLC.

In all the schools, the day when I bring in the hen is a BIG deal. Two schools call it an in-school field trip. They set up a few rows of chairs along the back & invite the parents to attend.
 
Faraday40 said:
I hatch in the schools, but I consider it more volunteer work for fun. Allergies are a big consideration, so a quick letter to parents to find out if there might be a problem is always wise. Most of the schools have their own incubators, so I just sell them the eggs and help them out. I also go in a few times:
1. deliver the eggs, check or set up incubator, show kids the colors of diff eggshells
2. visit with a hen for kids to pet, talk about basic chicken vocab, & candle to show development (bring clear eggs to show differences)
3. stop by sometime on hatch day
4. if they have no use for the chicks, I take them back here & sell them.

Most teachers give me about $20-25 for the eggs, plus all the cute little thank you cards, photos, etc. Then I get back a little money for whatever price I sell the chicks. That price depends on what purebreds or mixes hatch. The thermometers, shavings, feed, and other brooder supplies all come from the teachers, but I'm nearby in case they run out & need a cup of feed or have a weak chick in need of TLC.

In all the schools, the day when I bring in the hen is a BIG deal. Two schools call it an in-school field trip. They set up a few rows of chairs along the back & invite the parents to attend.
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That is exactly what I was looking for, thank you @Faraday40 ! I saw Brisnea had a great classroom hatching kit but $440 is pricey! Just in case I can't use my coolerbators.
 
buterflysbeauty said:
That is exactly what I was looking for, thank you @Faraday40 ! I saw Brisnea had a great classroom hatching kit but $440 is pricey! Just in case I can't use my coolerbators.
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Most school use the standard Hovabator (or GQF) with fan & auto turner. It's cheap & works fine for the purpose. Farm Innovations incubators look the same & are cheaper..... but I've heard so many horrible stories about how they really only work for 1-2 hatches (if that). The LG ones are hot or miss. Never tried one from China. Most schools do one hatch a year, so they need an incubator that will last but not take a large portion of the budget. Of course, the ELL teacher at my son's school wrote a grant last year and got a new Brinsea with all the bells & whistles. I have incubator envy!
:drool
 
Faraday40 said:
Most school use the standard Hovabator (or GQF) with fan & auto turner. It's cheap & works fine for the purpose. Farm Innovations incubators look the same & are cheaper..... but I've heard so many horrible stories about how they really only work for 1-2 hatches (if that). The LG ones are hot or miss. Never tried one from China. Most schools do one hatch a year, so they need an incubator that will last but not take a large portion of the budget. Of course, the ELL teacher at my son's school wrote a grant last year and got a new Brinsea with all the bells & whistles. I have incubator envy!
:drool
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I hatch on in my classroom every year and I use the Hovabator...has worked great for years! The kids love it and I of course LOVE hatching!!! And this year I have 2 more teachers attemting their first incubation :celebrate should be lots of fun!!!!
 
I recently went to my county farm bureau (ag education dept). They work with teachers in the county & offer help/classes to get them through an incubation unit. Each county is diff. I was trained in Cook Co because I live closer to that office. My own county's ag office is a 45 min drive away! In Cook they loan out incubators to teachers but do not provide eggs or help with rehoming the chicks. In my county, they gather teacher egg orders and combine them into one huge egg order. Then they drive out of state to the supplier & pick them up. The teachers then pick up the eggs at the office - along with a week's worth of chick feed. Because hundreds of chicks are hatching around the county, they also provide a list of places that will take donations of week old chicks. My county does not loan out incubators, brooders, feeders, etc. like Cook Co. but it seems they're all pretty supportive about helping train teachers and provide fun lessons.
 
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