Hi all, my name is Ben ,I’m in 6th class and I have chickens! I was recently contacted by Ms Ruddy about hatching chicks, one thing lead to another and here we are now with twenty eggs and an incubator. So I’m going to give you an insight to hatching chicks. Each class has a specific egg with a number so we can tell who’s who.
It should take about 21 days before a chick should hatch. After the first 7 days you start to see veins develop along the shell which means there is probably a chick growing inside. All the while the eggs are being ‘cradled’ by the incubator under warm heat. Soon after you normally check the egg by putting it under a lamp and seeing if the embryo and the sack have developed but make sure you’re in a dark room so you can see clearly. It looks really cool!
Then after 21 days cracks will start to form around the shell,then a tiny beak appears and then you have your chick. It will live off its egg yolk for 24 hours and once all the chicks have hatched we will lift them out of the incubator and into the pen with fresh straw for their comfort. We will ensure the learn to eat and drink and they will soon after get their bearings of where they are.There is a heat lamp for the to go under at night or whenever they’re cold. It’s like a heated shelter for them. They’ll stay in school for a few days and then the chicks will be given to other chicken farmers and ourselves.
You can watch a live stream of our eggs (and then hopefully chickens) here below or by clicking a link at the top of the screen. The incubator changes it’s tilt and angle so you might not always see the eggs but check back again and you will. Enjoy! (It might take a few moments to load so please be patient)
Thank you Ben for that most informative account of how the eggs are hatched. The sound of the chicks is loud and clear – so they must be very healthy.
Well done to you, all your class mates and to your teacher Miss Ruddy.
Regards,
Pauline
sooooo cuuuuuuuute!!!
we called ours jeff