**advice??? School project?

[ksct]

Well I just got thinking......
Our birds are 11 weeks old today! and first, shouldn't our roo be crowing??
Second, my main question....
When our ladies begin to lay, I thought about talking with my little guys teacher (2nd grade this year) about possibly having the class hatch a few eggs... or see if they can. Is there something that we would have to take etc to help that process? We've never hatched eggs as this is our first go with chickens (which we are loving!) We don't plan to hatch any eggs, at least not right away so this subject is completely new to me anyway. the plus side (should the teacher/school allow this) we will be able to take the chick/chicks home and raise them. I just thought this might be something fun for the kids to watch and learn. I know they don't do a huge science subject until 3rd grade i believe but I don't want to offer this and have it accepted and then leave them trying to scramble for supplies etc.
thanks for all the help.... and advice!!!!!

 

[ksct]

anyone?

 

[Xero]

You probably still have some time before any fertile eggs come out of your birds. Your roo could be crowing but maybe it is low or gimpy. Mine made ridiculously funny noises before he figured his crow out.

But the supplies are straightforward. You need an incubator, thermometers, as accurate a hygrometer as possible, and someone competent to work the incubator. The only tricky thing would be dead chicks=really sad crying children. I'd probably have 2 chicks on standby in case of hatch failure. They need an aquarium brooder with a light (so the kids can see them and don't have to touch them too much). They need bedding, chick waterer, and feeder.

Schools usually allow these projects but I would ask the teacher first and he or she should know how to go about getting approval (if needed) and what supplies they need. Weekends could be an issue.

 

[SJensen]

My kids and I put together an incubator and hatched eggs as a summer project. My advice would be to proceed with this type of project in a classroom only if you are able to rent/build/borrow/buy a proper incubator.

Our homemade incubator had a thermometer but no thermostat so I had a hard time regulating temperature. As a result our hatch was late and we lost several chicks. This was devastating to the children (and me!).

Anyhow, the joy of raising the surviving chicks has made this project worthwhile, so I hope it works out for you.