I need some creative chicken brains to help!

[Hottchick]

I will try to make this short and to the point. I'm illegal (chickens). I have 8 girls, can't have roosters. I would love to hatch eggs and think it would be a great experience for me and my kids. I found out that my son's school is having a science fair in March. Light bulb! Hatch chicks as a science project! I love it. My problem is they have all of these requirements for his project.

The project must: 1. Clearly ask a question/state a problem for the project (?)
2. Consturct a clear, thoughtful hypothesis related to the question/problem
3. Show evidence of testing the hypothesis

Man, they take the fun out of everything.
Can some of you creative chicken minds come up with some ideas to make my idea work within the framework that he was given? I don't know about the question/problem and how to make it work with hatching eggs (without damaging fertile eggs in the process, which I won't do)

Let me know if anyone comes up with anything. I would love to do this.

 

[GreenGoddess]

How about...

Does sending eggs through the mail make a difference in the hatchability of a chicken embryo as opposed to getting eggs locally?

Of course, we all know the answer to that question but it would be a good "experiment" to prove it...

Goddess

 

[grandparooster]

If you had two incubators, you see how temperature effects hatching, or you could hatch bantam vs. regular ans see which hatch first. You also might try hand turned vs. automatic turner? A hypothesis is simple to make. It has to sound very scientific. An example would be : If I use an automatic turner to turn the hatching eggs, then I will have a higher hatch rate in chicks compared to turning by hand. It is an If - Then statement. Your evidence would be easy to prove, just see which method hatches more chicks.

Hope this helps, I learned all this from FFA, where we have to do lab reports with hypothesis regularly.

 

[gitlost80]

Science Project-Can you hatch store bought eggs? Answer will be YES you can if you get "fertile" eggs from Trader Joes or Whole foods. Other people on BYC have done it as Science fair projects. It is super neat and interesting...I may try it myself.

 

[growinupinfl]

Ok idea's I have had with hatching and science fair..

Science fair was my original excuse has now turned into my addiction.

Using one incubator...
1) What placement is most effective for hatching-- put some big end up in carton, big end down, horizontal etc...
2) turning eggs outcomes, have some you don't turn at all, some you turn twice, etc..
3) does distance on shipped eggs change egg outcome.
4) Egg age determining hatch rate.
5) If eggs get cold for X amount of time will it effect hatch rate.
6) eggs that have been refrigerated vs room temp...
7) You could hatch chicks and then see if you can determin sex with at home methods, then soon as one crows it is gone..and you have your answer.

Two Incubators
1) Does store bought or home-made incubators work best.
2) humidity differences will effect hatchability
3) Temperature differences- hatch rate.. or produce higher number of males or females..


Now for it to be a valid science project you must acquire all of your eggs from same place except if they are coming from different distances. You will need to make sure you keep all other variables the same..

Oh My goodness I'm scaring myself.. I have spend way to much time thinking about this.. I hope your kids will do one of these,

My little snots won't..

If you chose one of these let me know, I have thought most of these out pretty thoroughly,

You would think college, and raising 8 kids would keep my mind to busy to think out all of these science experiments..

Christal

 

[bargain]

Test whether or not wrapping eggs in saran wrap will help an egg hatch better ......I have read somewhere on the internt but cannot find it that a gentleman keeps his eggs in saran wrap before setting them and it gives him better hatches since the loss of moisture from the embryo is minimized. That would be interesting and please publish your results.

Here's another interesting one... Get a postal stamp and see if you can "weigh" eggs prior to hatch to see if the heavier ones are the males! i've always wondered that and may try that one myself!

Have a blessed day. Nancy

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[Hottchick]

Wow! Great ideas! Gives me an excuse to hatch eggs and do a really neat science project. (I would also not mind having a couple more hens) Now I have to see if I can borrow an incubator from somewhere, decide on the topic, I mean, get my son to decide on the topic, and get some eggs.

Keep the ideas coming if anybody has any more.
and growinupinfl wow! 4 girls, 4 boys 4 everything! We have 3 kids, 3 dogs, 3 guinea pigs but it stops there.

 

[black_fx_35]

Quote:
Still laughing that you are doing a science project. How old is your son? Hilarious

 

[Hottchick]

He's 12. Middle School Science Fair.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Small eggs hatch earlier than larger eggs, same breed