How to Hatch Chicks in the Classroom 101

You can use this engagement for teaching content standards in science, math, reading, writing and art.

I am here to share my hatching secrets with you – and hopefully encourage you on your hatching and teaching adventures!

The first thing I like to do is find my fertile eggs.  Some fertile egg sources:

• A friend who has chickens (hens & roosters so the eggs are fertile)
• Local feed store
• Local university
• Murray McMurray Hatchery – before I found a friend who raised chickens, I ordered from them.  They were expensive, but reliable.

You are also going to need to find someone to ‘adopt’ the chicks – they are not pets and will need to have a home with someone with a chicken coop for them to live in.

The next thing you are going to want to have is an incubator.  I’ve had a long search for the perfect incubator and I am delighted to tell you – I have found the perfect incubator!  I made a table of my findings for you.

I recommend setting your eggs on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.  So if your chicks decide to come early- they aren’t hatching on a Sunday.  And if they are late –  they are not hatching on Saturday.

Once you have the eggs and the incubator, you have 21 days to get ready for those cute little chicks!  I like to have a check list, so I don’t forget anything.  I have included this checklist and other resources for you in a free packet.  Just click on the DOWNLOAD at the end of this post.

You can find most of these things at a local feed store.  However, if you do not have one nearby – there is always Amazon….

Students love keeping track of how many days until Hatch Day on this calendar!  I keep a large one on our science focus wall and fill in an egg each day.   Students could also do this in their own copy in ‘All About Chickens’ study guide.  Some of your students may even want to draw on their calendars to show the embryonic development.

Find link to download these free resources below.

The ‘Chick Life Cycle’ by Learning Resources is a fun hands-on resource.   The students can see what their chicks look like each day.  In the picture below, the students put the days 17, 18, and 19 in front of the incubator – so they could see what the chicks were looking like over the weekend!

The waiting is filled with lots of activities.  The kids are so motivated to research, read, discuss, and write about all things chicks!  I provide lots of opportunities for as many curriculum areas as possible.  As you do this with your students, I am sure you will think of a plethora of ways to incorporate your content standards!

The chicks are quite wet and weak when they first hatch (more like flop) out of the egg.  They nap a bit, dry off, fluff up, and begin pecking at the other eggs within an hour or so.  Do not be in a rush to take the chicks out of the incubator, their presence will encourage the unhatched chicks to hatch.  They should be taken out and put into a brooder within 24 hours of hatching.  Usually, all the chicks that are going to hatch have hatched, and you can put the whole clutch in your brooder.

I especially love this one because it shows how the mother hen cares for and protects her chicks.  You are going to be the ‘mama hen’ taking care of your little brood.

1. Cloth (oil cloth is the best)
2. Wipes
3. Hand sanitizer

You are now ready for the chicks!

• Put an oil cloth on the floor.
• Have kids sit around in a circle.  I then put a dish with some food in the center and ask the kids to just put their hands down and wait for the chicks to come to them (sometimes they do).
• I will then go around and place a chick in the hands of kids that are being quiet and peaceful.  After about a minute we rotate the chicks so that all who want to hold one can.
• The chicks should not be out from their ‘coop’ for very long or they will get cold.

Bye, bye, chicks!  How long do you keep the chicks in the classroom?

That depends on how high your coop is and how much patience you have.  They will start trying to ‘fly the coop’ after about 4-5 days.  I try to have my chicks hatch on Tuesday or Wednesday and send them to their new home on Friday.  I had a partner teacher who used to keep them for over a week.

Prepare your students from the beginning for this day – remind them that chickens are not pets and they need a chicken coop to live in with other chickens.

On the last day with the chicks, let the kids handle them one last time.  Snap some pictures of them with the chicks and you can use the photos for writing prompts in the days to come.

Cleaning up –

Read your incubator’s instructions for putting it away for next year.  Jot down notes on what worked well and what you want to do differently next year.

Chicken Embryo Development YouTube
Our Chickens Hatching!
Baby Chick Hatching

All About Chickens – Kiddy House
Chickenscope
How a Hen Makes an Egg

Affiliate Resource Links:

Murray McMurray Hatchery

Please feel free to contact me with any chick questions, suggestions, or stories!
Take a closer look at Chicken Life Cycle Literacy and Science Activities:

Just fill in the form below to get your copy of the Hatching Chicks Checklist, Egg Calendar, Chicken Life Cycle Circle Book and Chicken Life Cycle mini Posters.

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