Chick Update 19.04.24

We recently embarked on the exciting adventure of incubating chicken eggs, in the hope that we can hatch some of our own fluffy chicks. This is a wonderful opportunity for the children to explore life cycles and how new life begins. The eggs arrived at the beginning of April and from then on, the children have taken full responsibility for caring for the eggs. We made a calendar and appointed children for daily duties such as, turning the eggs, making sure there was enough water for humidity and checking the temperature to make sure our chicks were cosy and warm. Each week the whole school has taken part in ‘candling’ the eggs. This is a process where each egg is observed using a special light to see if the egg is fertilised- I’m sure you can imagine the amazing discussions that took place. We have observed each egg carefully to look for signs of a clear air sack, an embryo and healthy veins. Out of the 20 eggs we started with, we observed that 18 eggs are possibly fertile. Two eggs left the incubator as infertile and we have two eggs 'on watch' which will be candled again next week to monitor progress.

Chick Update 30.04.24

Our first chick has hatched safe and well. This morning we heard a faint cheeping from the incubator and later found that egg number 20 had a tiny crack in the shell. We carefully monitored the progress of this egg throughout the day and by lunch time, there was clear signs of movement. After much anticipation, egg number 20 finally hatched at 15.45pm. He/she is now up and moving and we can hear lots of healthy cheeping! What an eggciting day!

Chick Update 01.05.24

It's been a busy day in the incubator today! After the safe arrival of egg number 20, we were greeted this morning with the arrival of another chick. Both chicks had clearly become acquainted over night and were snuggled up together when staff arrived this morning. Throughout the day, we have welcomed 3 new chicks to the family. The whole school has monitored the progress of each egg throughout the day and every child has had the wonderful opportunity of witnessing a chick hatch. What an eggperience! Hatching can take some time but the children have shown a great understanding of the process. Patience and careful observation is key! We now have 4 healthy chicks in our family, with another chick on careful watch- He/she took a long time to hatch so is certainly tired from all that hard work. Several other eggs have shown signs of starting/cracking so we may be in for a surprise tomorrow morning!

Chick Update 02.05.24

Today was a calmer day in the incubator but we still managed to welcome 3 more chicks into the world. We also introduced some of our older chicks to their new home. The brooding box includes a water bowl, food bowl and a heating pad to keep them warm.

We now have a total of 8 chicks in our clutch and one is being carefully monitored as it appears to have a poorly leg. Egg number 18 is also showing signs of movement so we may have one more chick!

The chicks will be going for a sleep over at Miss Archer house over the weekend to make sure their safe.

Chick Update 07.05.24

The chicks thoroughly enjoyed the long weekend break with Miss Archer and have certainly started to grow in size, strength and personality. What a rowdy bunch they are!

Today they settled back into the classroom and the children were eggstremely excited to see them again. We have spent time observing the chicks and making sure that they have plenty of food and water to help them grow. Each of our chicks is unique in breed, size, markings and behaviour and we have even started thinking of names to suit them. It has been lovely to hear them chatting away while we work. Later in the week, we hope that the children will be able to begin carefully handling them.