• Chicken Hatching

Educational chicken hatching experience for childcare, preschool, schools, nursing homes, aged cared, libraries chicken hatching program wollongong illawarra.

Every year, thousands of eager little faces watch as the first cracks appear in the side of a smooth eggshell. For weeks the egg has been basting under the warm glow of an incubation light and finally the moment has arrived. From the egg emerges a scrawny, soggy little chick who peers about and sees a classroom. Without giving it too much thought, I have always agreed with the idea of school chick-hatching programs. How wonderful for kids to start piecing together the cycle of life by seeing firsthand where chickens come from. It’s recently come to my attention however that, while chick hatching is great for the kids, it ain’t so great for the chooks involved.

Chicks hatched in day care centres, schools and aged-care facilities are created for the sole purpose of hatching. After that, they are at the mercy of a wide range of factors. In my opinion it is unethical to hatch chickens without planning their future first and I’d like to hope that most educators think about this. Animal welfare organisations go so far as to say that egg-hatching programs are cruel.

Chicken Hatching

Here are some of the reasons why:. Eggs can be improperly cared for, resulting in death and deformities (mother chickens apparently rotate the eggs to stop the membrane from sticking to the shell – they also talk to their eggs, just like we talk to our pregnant bellies). Roosters get the raw deal.

Illegal in most suburban areas, roosters end up killed or at animal welfare shelters which are already struggling with too many unwanted animals. Half of the chicks that hatch will be roosters (obviously). The chicks form an attachment to their child carers, who may not be able to take them home at the end of the project. In addition to the animal welfare considerations, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with what chick hatching teaches children. You don’t bring a life into this world just for fun – or even for education.

If the school or centre had a living chicken farm, now that would be another story. Kids would learn so much more about the food cycle and also about how hens care for their offspring. If your school or kindy has a chick-hatching program and you’re uncomfortable with it, why not let them know?

There are alternatives to live chick-hatching programs in schools, such as videos, excursions, embryo-development charts like the one pictured. You can read more about the ethics of chick-hatching at Edgar’s Mission, a farm animal sanctuary in Victoria. And are some ideas for alternative teaching methods. Do you think chick-hatching is unethical? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, talk to me in the comments section x TOP photo credit: via.

I have no issue with these programs, I have 3 hens in the back yard from 2 of these programs, and any unwanted chicks go back to the provider of the eggs who owns a chicken farm, and said chicks will either be used for laying or food, so regardless of who takes them home or not, their fate is sealed, and yes one of the chicks I bought home ended up been a rooster and yes council said I had to get rid of it, (I had offers to slaughter and dress it but I couldn’t do that to my daughter) so we rehomed him with a friend of a friend who had a nice big farm:).

WELCOME TO Our aim is to provide a thrilling educational experience for all, bringing the joy of watching eggs hatching, and chicks emerging from their shells, right to your door. Whether you work in a school or a kindergarten, where students can watch with excitement and awe as chicks begin hatching in the classroom, or in a nursing home or aged care facility, where the wonder of seeing an egg hatch and watching the antics of the newly hatched chicks brings back fond childhood memories, everyone will be fascinated by our program. The Henny Penny Hatching program is simple to run and it comes with clear operating instructions, 24 hour on-call service and detailed resources for students and teachers. Best of all, if you wish to keep them, the chicks are yours at no extra cost. However, if you prefer, Henny Penny Hatching will collect the chicks at the end of the program, and re-home them for you.

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