Second Graders Learning About Chickens

[mccayac]

My students recently hatched 19 baby chicks. Today they are 2 weeks old. We were keeping the chicks in our classroom in several large boxes. The boxes obviously were not large enough because now the babies can fly out. For sanitation purposes, I took the babies home. The students are very sad to see them go, and I am planning on building a coop here at the school over the summer so we will be more prepared next year. Anyway, I promised my students I would post weekly pictures of the chicks so they can watch them grow. They will also be coming up with questions about raising the chicks that we will post. So PLEASE visit this thread and help us answer questions we might have and watch our babies grow.

 

[Rich386]

My students recently hatched 19 baby chicks. Today they are 2 weeks old. We were keeping the chicks in our classroom in several large boxes. The boxes obviously were not large enough because now the babies can fly out. For sanitation purposes, I took the babies home. The students are very sad to see them go, and I am planning on building a coop here at the school over the summer so we will be more prepared next year. Anyway, I promised my students I would post weekly pictures of the chicks so they can watch them grow. They will also be coming up with questions about raising the chicks that we will post. So PLEASE visit this thread and help us answer questions we might have and watch our babies grow.

A great idea they will learn a lot from the chickens about life. You might think about calling their attention to the pecking order. You could tie it into a lesson on bullying.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I love turning kids on to incubating and poultry in general. If your students have questions feel free to post them and we'll see what we can do.

Take a look at the hatching display I put on for my county fair. You might get some ideas to use with your kids.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/769861/2013-county-fair-chick-hatching-display-photo-heavy

 

[mccayac]

Thanks Rich 386, I would like to hear more about how to relate pecking order to bullying. We have a strong no bullying campaign, that would be nice tie in.

 

[mccayac]

AT Hagen - awesome display! My students would have loved to have seen it. Thank you for responding. We have been so pleased with this forum and look forward to more communications.

 

[mccayac]

Our 19 babies at 2 weeks old - yes they are in a dog crate for now. The only thing I could find big enough to hold them that they cannot fly out of.

Questions for today:
When can the chickens go outside?
When will we know for sure if we have a rooster?
Can we feed the baby chicks scraps, or do they need to be older?

We look forward to your responses and I am sure the questions will keep coming!!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Questions for today: When can the chickens go outside? Depends on the weather and temperature. The colder and/or wetter it is the longer they ought to stay in the brooder. Until they are fully feathered young chicks have difficulty maintaining their body temperature. If the weather is warm and dry and you keep them protected you can take them out for day trips into the grass at most any age. Just don't let them get wet or chilled. Keep in mind that chicks are tasty predator snacks so you simply must keep a close eye on them if they are not in a proper cage. Generally speaking when they are five to six weeks of age they are ready for the grow-out pen. If it's warm and dry then five weeks. If it's cold and wet then six weeks. You still have to give them good protection though. And don't force them to sleep in the wet or directly in the wind. When will we know for sure if we have a rooster? You seem to have a mixed batch of chicks so telling boy from girl is likely going to have to wait until they begin to show signs of their secondary sex characteristics. Boys will typically have heavier, stouter legs. They may show more pronounced early comb growth and generally be a tad bit larger overall. In the ten to twelve week range you may begin to see differences in the hackle (neck) feathers and their saddle (top of back in front of tail) feathers. Boys will usually be more pointed and somewhat longer in length. Just now it's going to be difficult to discern. Can we feed the baby chicks scraps, or do they need to be older? Yes, but in moderation. Chicks do not need a lot of treats. It's no better for them than they are for the kids. But especially when there are kids there is a strong desire to give chicks treats so what I suggest is this. Rolled oats (oatmeal) are good. Straight out of the box. They don't have to be cooked. Also finely chopped dark green leafy vegetables (turnip, mustard, kale, collard, or kale greens). Whole grain bread. Chicks are naturally suspicious of new foods so at first they may not eat much but they'll gradually catch on to what is tasty and will then scarf it up. Don't give them more than what they can clean up in about ten minutes or so and no more than once or twice a day. They really need to get most of their nutrition form their starter feed. Be sure to keep their water clean and fresh. Set the waterer on a platform if you need to. Don't let the bedding get soaked. Wet bedding is an invitation to disaster. When bedding begins to smell it's time to change it. Good luck!

 

[Rich386]

Thanks Rich 386, I would like to hear more about how to relate pecking order to bullying. We have a strong no bullying campaign, that would be nice tie in.

The chickens form their own little groups or clicks if you will. They will exclude certain ones from their group. They will peck at them when they try to eat or just give them a peck for being too close. The best description I have ever herd was they are like teenagers. Does this help?

 

[mccayac]

Thank you for your excellent advice! Here is a picture of the coop they will move to until we have one finished here at school. It is not totally finished, but since the chicks are only 2 weeks old, we have some time.
We live in Georgia, so it is plenty warm. We will try to wait until at least 5 weeks like you suggested. Thank you for the tips. We will post more questions as they come.