The Class Hatch-Along (eggs and butterflies)! 🐥

[PippinTheChicken]

What a cool idea! This sounds like a great learning experience for the kids.
May I offer one suggestion? After the chicks hatch, I don't think its a good idea for them to be at the school all day. How old are these kids? You say they will, "Get to play with the chicks all day." To me, I think that sounds really stressful for the chicks, and possibly dangerous. They are very young a fragile animals, are the kids going to be able to touch and hold them?
I think its okay to bring them in, but I probably wouldn't let the kids hold them. Maybe you can pick one up and the kids can pet it or something. Then I would have someone come grab the chicks from you. A school is loud, noisy, chaotic, I feel like that environment would be very stressful for them.
But of course, only my opinion. Good luck with the hatch! I will be following.

The holidays is a week long so the chicks should be older and stronger by the time they visit the school. I'm bringing a chick carrier, food and water, and the chicks will get a break. I'm not sure how long I'm staying in the class (maybe just the morning)

 

[Iluveggers]

@PippinTheChicken

I think it would be cool if you let the kids help with “chores” like filling a small feeder possibly using a small spoon so each kid can “help” with a scoop, maybe same with a small water container. That would be a hands-on job which would give the chicks a break, and they could learn about the things you have to do to take care of animals like chickens! Maybe even let them each hold a container of wet mash and let a chick or two eat out of it if they are not afraid of the kids! Modeling for them first about appropriate quiet voice and slow movement. Then have them practice with a stuffed chick, and if they do it correct, they can be your helper! I think there are absolutely ways to involve the kids without it being too overwhelming for the chicks.

 

[Iluveggers]

Also, you could show them each chick, and have them decide on a name for it as a class! (You wouldnt have to keep the names, but they don’t need to know that!)

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Also, you could show them each chick, and have them decide on a name for it as a class! (You wouldnt have to keep the names, but they don’t need to know that!)

I'm having them pick a name for one of the chicks.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

@PippinTheChicken

I think it would be cool if you let the kids help with “chores” like filling a small feeder possibly using a small spoon so each kid can “help” with a scoop, maybe same with a small water container. That would be a hands-on job which would give the chicks a break, and they could learn about the things you have to do to take care of animals like chickens! Maybe even let them each hold a container of wet mash and let a chick or two eat out of it if they are not afraid of the kids! Modeling for them first about appropriate quiet voice and slow movement. Then have them practice with a stuffed chick, and if they do it correct, they can be your helper! I think there are absolutely ways to involve the kids without it being too overwhelming for the chicks.

That's a great idea!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

The holidays is a week long so the chicks should be older and stronger by the time they visit the school. I'm bringing a chick carrier, food and water, and the chicks will get a break. I'm not sure how long I'm staying in the class (maybe just the morning)

I double checked and I'm staying until around 1pm. So not too long

 

[pekin queen]

What a cool idea! This sounds like a great learning experience for the kids.
May I offer one suggestion? After the chicks hatch, I don't think its a good idea for them to be at the school all day. How old are these kids? You say they will, "Get to play with the chicks all day." To me, I think that sounds really stressful for the chicks, and possibly dangerous. They are very young a fragile animals, are the kids going to be able to touch and hold them?
I think its okay to bring them in, but I probably wouldn't let the kids hold them. Maybe you can pick one up and the kids can pet it or something. Then I would have someone come grab the chicks from you. A school is loud, noisy, chaotic, I feel like that environment would be very stressful for them.
But of course, only my opinion. Good luck with the hatch! I will be following.

i agree

 

[pekin queen]

I double checked and I'm staying until around 1pm. So not too long

thats okay then

 

[cece_chickens]

View attachment 3100692
I didn't tell you guys about this in case it didn't happen. But the eggs are here so I can finally reveal it! A local school is borrowing my incubator and is hatching 6 mixed bantam eggs and I will take the chicks!​

The Plan:
The eggs arrived late so are now due to hatch during the holidays. The school will incubate the eggs until the holidays and then I will take the incubator and hatch the chicks during the holiday. When the school opens, I'm coming in as a guest with the chicks and the kids will watch the webcam videos and play with the chicks all half of the day. After that I may attempt to get one of my broodies to adopt the chicks, otherwise I will brood them outside.

The eggs are due to hatch on the 31st.

Good luck! Idk what age group you teach but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE always watch the kids with the chicks!! They can so easily be dropped and die

 

[cece_chickens]

What a cool idea! This sounds like a great learning experience for the kids.
May I offer one suggestion? After the chicks hatch, I don't think its a good idea for them to be at the school all day. How old are these kids? You say they will, "Get to play with the chicks all day." To me, I think that sounds really stressful for the chicks, and possibly dangerous. They are very young a fragile animals, are the kids going to be able to touch and hold them?
I think its okay to bring them in, but I probably wouldn't let the kids hold them. Maybe you can pick one up and the kids can pet it or something. Then I would have someone come grab the chicks from you. A school is loud, noisy, chaotic, I feel like that environment would be very stressful for them.
But of course, only my opinion. Good luck with the hatch! I will be following.

I agree! If it was me I wouldn’t even let anyone touch the chicks. Sounds like the chicks will be under a lot of stress with a loud classroom and kids shoving hands in their brooder.