On Monday, 2nd September our chicken eggs arrived at Cobbers Child Care Centre from Henny Penny Hatching. The eggs were in an incubator, which the children could watch hatch over the week. We learnt about the lifecycle of a chicken through craft activities, stories and discussions. The children were lucky enough to witness one of the chicks hatch from the egg when they arrived one morning. This process took over 20 minutes and the children and parents discussed how it was going to get out of the egg and what colour the chick would be.
Once all of the eggs had hatched, the children had the opportunity to hold the chicks. Whilst they were holding them, they described how they felt, what they were doing and pointed to the chick’s features. It was interesting to see some of the reactions of the children as they held the chicks for the first time. Some children even overcame their fears and felt confident enough to gently touch them. The chicks pooped on some children and others had their freckles pecked, which caused great amusement.
Living in a rural community in Mullumbimby, our chicks always find a good home and we continue to hear how the chicks are developing and when they have started to lay eggs of their own.