Hatching Chickens & Ducks

The learning style of both myself and atleast one of our children is kinestic. Meaning, that we learn by hands on experience, which goes well in sustainable living. We don't just learn it, we do it.

This activity was such a low-cost learning adventure that we can do over and over again, for even less costs. Bonus! Frugal! Sustainable!

Hubby bought himself an incubator, and popped a pile of eggs in. 

Hubby carefully checks the eggs, giving them an 'ultrasound' to see if they are alive and how well they are growing. See the veins? That is what your looking for. Amazingly you can see the actual chicken or duck growing inside!!

Hubby and Kids LOVED watching them, turning them daily.

Hubby wrote the dates they went IN to the incubator so he could guess when they were ready. 

After so many days of making sure they had a bit of water, and turning them twice a day they began to make their appearance.

The chicken starts by pecking a tiny hole into their egg shell

The wet bird is exhausted once it has broken out

We left them in the incubator and then moved them under a light, for human scrutiny.
The box of a BBQ was a perfect size for them to be in, kids to be out, and for all of us to look at.

Then its play time, with babies ;)

Isaiah checking out the new life

Jarah seeing the baby

Proud new dad ;)

The same kind of thing, with a larger egg, and a duck inside. 

 

 

Except... Ducks can SWIM :)

 

This Chick got thrown into the bathroom,
 by a 2yr old who didn't know that chickens can not swim.
It survived. 

5 Things I am Thankful for:
1. Hubby-led learning
2. Children learning so much about responsibility and caring for others through natural day-to-day learning
3. I didn't have to do too much 'work' with this project
4. That we can 'do it all again' next available season
5. Ducks and Chickens that give us fresh eggs