Hatching time came this week and the whole school got involved. It all started with chick number 1, Dave, who arrived promptly. The children took great delight in hearing the tap, tap, tap of the chicks as they start pipping from their shells. The chicks that hatch are left inside the incubator so that they can recover from the stress of fighting out of their shells. This gives time for their feathers to dry and fluff up helping to keep them warm. The hatched chicks will chirp and move around and this in turn encourages other chicks to hatch. The children have been encouraged to chat to the eggs and chicks as much as possible so they get used to voices.
The children set up the brooder in readiness and after 24-48 hours the new birds were moved out, given a drink of water and some well deserved food. Dave appears to be top of the pecking order for now. Over the next 6-8 weeks we will be able to see more clearly the sex of the chicks and any cockerels will be rehomed.
Our children’s joy of hen keeping is now spreading into the community. After meeting our hens before lock down, Angel Court residents decided they would like some hens too. So this year we have been working with them to make this happen. After the experience of a pandemic it has given the residents a very welcome boost. Working with charities Henpower and Equal Arts we have completely redesigned their community garden, including a new pond and a beautiful henhouse. So each week we have been making sure their incubators are set up correctly and the children could talk them through the process.
The hens will be shared between us, Angel Court and Pleasant Place Care home in Birtley. Next academic year we will visit these care homes and help with hen care.
As a school we would like to say a huge thankyou to Jos, our Henpower lady, who has supported us through all our “hendeavours”, so reassuring to have back up with such an “egg-citing” adventure.
Principle 2: Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
Article 6 – We all have the right to be alive and develop in the best possible way.
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- Jos explains how the incubator works.
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- The children are shown how to monitor humidity and temperature. This is a big responsibility as it can really effect how successful the hatch is.
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- Water is added to ensure the humidity stays constant, this is vital to ensure the eggs stay thin enough for the chicks to break out.
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- Bars are put in place to stop the eggs rolling too far as the cradle rocks.
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- Finally and very carefully the eggs are added.
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- We have chosen a mix of breeds, which will yield many coloured eggs.
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- Reading the breed from the egg.
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- Getting crowded.
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- Not all of these eggs will hatch and over the next few weeks we removed any that weren’t fertilised.
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- A nervous moment.
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- And their in.
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- Now we need to decipher the code.
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- 24 days later…….
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- Hens have hatched and dried out in the incubator.
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- Here they are getting moved into the brooder where they can stretch their legs and get some well deserved food and water.
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- We add marbles to the water to prevent drowning.
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- They have chick crumb to eat which should give them everything they need to grow into strong healthy birds.
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- Dave still rules the roost….hmmm maybe Dave is a cockerel, we’ll have to wait and see.
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- Dave gets some attention.
