Classroom hatching

[mommissan]

Am I a fool to try? I've never hatched eggs, but I offered to set up a Genesis Hova-Bator with auto egg turner (loaned to me) in my daughter's 4th grade classroom this spring. I will have fertile eggs of my own to try so there's nothing lost except some breakfast if they fail. My question is, how does the incubator do over weekends, when no one is around? How will they do in the noisy classroom environment? IF they hatch at all, how long should they stay in the classroom? My plan was to set the incubator up on a Monday, set eggs on Wednesday, so they hatch in 19-23 days

(during the school week). They would stay for 3-5 weeks or until the teacher gets annoyed and be brought home to begin introduction to the "family". How bad is this going to turn out?

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

With as much dust as chicks put off, I doubt a teacher will want to keep them in the class. I've done it a couple times, about a week after hatch they go home to grow up. Kids are learning the life cycle, they don't need to keep them in the class. Weekends are the big issue, the chicks run out of water they'll croak over the weekend.

 

[DuckLover2399]

My teacher raises chicks every year. She comes in on weekends to turn and when they hatch they stay at shool until the weekend and then are brought home by kids for two days then brought back.

 

[mommissan]

Will the incubator be alright on weekends?

 

[Melissa Rose]

I think you are awesome for doing this

When I was a young girl We hatched eggs in my science class but when they hatched the teacher let some of us bring them home

I was lucky enough to get one. He was a beautiful white roo and I named him Choo Choo because he followed me around every where like a caboose on a train

He was so Awesome and it instilled a love of chicklets that I am now enjoying thoroughly in my later years

 

[mommissan]

I hope that the kids learn a lot from this. The teacher is really excited. I just hope this doesn't turn into a disaster.

 

[Lovesdisney]

Egg turner. They go home when they hatch.

In fact we picked up 42 chicks before Thanksgiving that were all hatched in classrooms all over the county. The local college dept of ag donates the eggs and the classrooms shift around incubators in fall and spring. I was told to expect a call on another round right before christmas. The chicks we picked up were between 2 days and a week old.

Good luck! Kids love it!

 

[mommissan]

Thanks everyone. With all the hatching problems I read about, I started to have second thoughts. Too bad winters here are brutal, or I'd be hatching right now! Our last frost isn't until June and the winter temps here drop to -30. DEFINITELY not chick friendly! I'm planning to set eggs right after spring break, 2nd week of April, to hatch first week of May. They'll be ready to go outside mid June. If too many hatch, I'll need a bigger chicken coop..... hehe

Last question: Will the humidity be an issue if the incubator is unsupervised for two days? Does it dry out?

 

[Sumatra503]

eggs in the classroom is a wonderful idea!

Don't worry about the weekends, as the incubator can hold it's humidity for 3 days without help. since you have an auto turner that makes it even more self sufficient.

 

[mommissan]

I can't wait!