Every spring we work with our local 4H to have the experience of raising chicks for a week. We aren't sure who is more excited about this, the children or us, but everyone LOVES this.
Before the chicks come to our classrooms we teach the children about the life cycle of a chicken. They love learning about how they survive inside the egg and are also thankful to learn that eating eggs for breakfast does NOT mean that you are eating a baby chick, haha! You can find the Lifecycle paper and other farm activities here: Fun on the Farm
When the eggs are brought to us they are ready to hatch. They usually already have holes in them as the chicks are starting to work their way out of the eggs. One of the most exciting things is when the children get to hear the chick peeping while it is still in the egg. Their faces are priceless! We keep the eggs in an incubator and they usually hatch within the first day. 
Sometimes we are lucky and we are able to see the chicks hatch. This is also a very exciting experience for the children. A lot of times they hatch while we are out of the room or overnight, but the excitement still remains!
After hatching, the chicks stay in the incubator for a little while so their feathers can dry off. During this time the children like to look in on them and make sure they are staying warm and getting fluffy.
Next, we put them in a plastic tub (brooder) where we make sure they have food and water for the week. The children continue to check in on them to see how they are doing. Here you can see some children reading to the baby chicks.
We let the chicks come out of the tub and walk around on the carpet and the children get to watch them and make observations. The will often comment on their toes and feathers and of course how much they poop, which is a lot! Every now and then one of the chicks will attempt to fly and the children LOVE it! There are even times when the chicks will become comfortable enough to hop on the children to get a better look at them too! 
This little chick likes to listen to a Pete the Cat book:
This child wanted to show the chick his brag tag that says
"I know the Lifecycle of a Chicken!"
The highlight of the week is getting to hold the baby chicks.
The children love this! Just look at all of these smiles!
Thank you for checking out our fun week with the chicks!
If you would like to do this too, contact and your local 4H and see if they do this for your school. You won't be disappointed!
