Classroom Hatch

[lsmith]

Hi!

I'll be really honest, I've never hatched or incubated any eggs. BUT since I adopted my chicks I have been obsessed and I really want to! I was thinking about doing a class science project with my 4th graders because another teacher has an incubator that she is willing to let me borrow for this purpose. I am worried that the kids will be upset if some of the chicks don't hatch though and I don't want any upset kids. I'm also wondering what the average cost of eggs is for hatching and if anyone has heard of a hatchery that donates eggs for this? I want to propose this to my principal and I could ask for some money for shipping, but I'm not sure how much I could get. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks in advance!!

 

[lazy gardener]

My suggestion is that you try to get local eggs, because they are much more likely to hatch. That is, unless you want a specific breed for your own flock. I'm assuming that you are planning to keep the chicks that hatch? If not, it would be wise to have a plan for their adoption before you even start the incubator. Kids are more resilient than we give them credit for, regarding death and life issues, and IMO, there may be some valuable life lessons learned through this project, even with eggs that don't hatch. Much better for a child to learn to deal with death through the loss of an embryo that he never met, than to loose a favorite pet or loved one. If you look for local eggs, you might check your local farmer's market, or assuming that you are in a rural area... or have one near you, you might drive by a home that advertises eggs for sale.

 

[lsmith]

I will look around and see if anyone has any. I think you're right about the life lesson. Thanks! And yes, I will be keeping the chicks.

 

[graciedawn]

I have hatched 1 batch of chickens (donated by a parent's sister who raises chickens) and 1 batch of ducks (purchased and shipped) in the classroom. The chickens were the first, in a Kindergarten classroom, and I still have 4 (some rehomed and 2 lost to a coon). It was a great lesson for the kids and they loved seeing them go from the egg to becoming chicks. The whole school enjoyed the process. This year we hatched ducks in the 3rd grade (I changed grades this year). I bought a great incubator, which is important to have in the classroom because you won't be there all the time to watch it and my school turns off the air and heat at night. I needed something that would keep a constant temp. without my help and turn the eggs. All I had to do was add water. I also purchased a better candler this year and it made a big difference. I was able to use my "lady bug" (document camera) to show the candling to the whole class. It was amazing!!! We kept a chart of what was happening to the eggs as we candled to tell which ones had developed. Just know that it is a lot of work during and after the hatching process. While hatching, I took the incubator home with me to keep an eye on them overnight. I kept the chicks in the classroom (would take them home at night and on weekends just to be safe) for 3 weeks. It was the perfect amount of time because the children were able to watch them develop and grow. I also kept the ducks in the classroom for 3 weeks, but that was too long. They grow so much faster and make such a mess with their water. It has been a learning experience for me as well. I have never had birds and knew little to nothing before the project. The first year, a mom from our school who helps her sister hatch eggs, guided me throughout the process. I am still learning and have enjoyed having my chicken at home. The kids still ask about them and enjoy seeing pictures. We did have one die several days after he hatched (had trouble from the beginning) and that was hard for some of the kids, because they were rooting for him/her. They did OK thought and focused on the ones that were still around. For the ones that didn't hatch, we discussed why and it didn't seem to be a problem for most of the kids. There were those who had some sad moments, but we were able to talk about it and moved on. Its a good life lesson to be learned in a supportive environment. One problem I did have with the chicks, was in rehoming them. I had homes lined up and then when it was time to take them home, they decided they didn't want them. I did finally find them all good homes, but they were with me for a while. Fortunately, I had a place to keep them until they found homes. It was also difficult because it took so long to figure out the females from the males.
Good luck

Here is a pic of our ducks after hatching.

 

[lsmith]

Oh that's awesome! Now I'm excited. I talked with some of the other teachers and I think we will do it as a core. I also found a lady who has some EE and Banty eggs that she says we can have. I just need to create the curriculum that will go along. Did you use an egg diagram for a graphic organizer and how did you track the development in the eggs? We have an Elmo so I'm wondering if I can candle on it like you did your lady bug? Thanks for all the info.

 

[Meinertzhagens]

I am also about to incubate in my classroom for the first time. I have an ELMO as well and was hoping that I could candle using it to project for the kids. I'd love to know if it works!

 

[lazy gardener]

I got my start with poultry by getting a few bantam eggs... and goose eggs from a local farm and bringing them into my 6th grade class room for a class hatch. All the bantam eggs hatched. It was a memorable experience, and I applaud you teachers for taking the time to do this with your students.

 

[Sphinx]

I hatch for 4-5 teachers every year. My incubator goes from March until school gets out. I actually turn away twice as many teachers as I hatch for. I even started a gofundme page to see if I can get a second incubator paid for.

I have fertile eggs, so that part is easy. When I come in to set the eggs, I talk to the kids about the difference between grocery store eggs and hatching eggs (I don't want any kids taking an egg out of the fridge and storing it on the heat vent or anything!!)

http://acaptivechicken.blogspot.com/2012/03/chicken-educational-unit.html I copy and paste that blog entry and email to the teacher so that they have some ideas.

I've never had none hatch. The worst I've ever had was 5/7 in my brinsea, or 8/17 in a district owned still air with no turned that the teacher managed to find. Those eggs couldn't be turned from 3pm friday to 8am Monday, so that was kind of tough on them I think.

Once the chicks hatch, I bring in a fish tank so that the kids can watch them run around for a week or so, and then they go to their new homes. I usually will hatch french black copper marans, olive eggers or cream legbars. I think I like doing the cream legbars best in schools because they're autosexing.

This year, my son's class will get sebastopol geese. I've started them at home because I have to hand turn them (have you SEEN how big goose eggs are?!), and because they're way more valuable than the mutts, and I got the eggs on loan from someone, I decided to keep them at home until the final week, and then I'll bring the incubator to class.

 

[dstinett]

I'm waiting for my classroom hatch on wednesday. I am soooo nervous. This is my first time in classroom. First, I made sure possible chicks had a home. Next, I reminded kids that you can't count your chickens til they hatch. As we candled, we determined all eggs were fertile, but stopped growing at some point. They took it very well. I got my eggs locally by putting an ad on craigslist. I got a lot of offers. Best if luck

 

[graciedawn]

The 4H has a curriculum that you can download and use or you can search online and find all kinds of information. The first year I candled with a flashlight and used a webcam to try to show the candling on the smart board. It didn't work out very well. This year I used an Ova candler and it was well worth the money. The students reactions and their ability to truly see what was happening inside the egg. It gave them a better sense of the chicks development and how some developed and others didn't. Their faces the first time hey saw movement inside the egg and then when we could distinguish between the bill and its feet as it was older, I wish I had videoed that. I also posted the video on my website so the students could share with their parents or others. It soon became viewed by all of the school. As for recording the data, I wasn't very creative this year. I just made a chart with 19 spaces. We labeled each box with the type of egg, date of candling, and what the students saw happening in the egg. They kept a record in their journal and made predictions about the eggs. We also kept a calendar labeled with the days the eggs were in the incubator, what the temp and humidity were for each of those days. I marked the hatch day on the calendar as well. Each student had a chance to write on the calendar and make sure we had enough water in the incubator (humidity). We had a surprise this year because the eggs began hatching early (or according to our calendar). As we were candling, I noticed that one of the eggs had begun pipping. I'm not sure how an Elmo works, but I had to move the camera on my Lady Bug (it has a flexible piece so I can move it around) to be able to view the side of the egg. If yours is not flexible, you might be able to hold the egg to get a good view. I had all the lights out and sometimes had to block the lights from the windows. Happy Hatching!!!! http://www.anthonyschool.org/MelanieLefler_ED.aspx