Egg incubation is the practice in replicating the mother hen’s environment with a warm moist environment for the rest of the gestation period for the chick (through an incubation device).

This year’s 4^th grade 4-H School Clubs (eight classrooms totaling about 150 students) are learning about the anatomy of a chicken’s egg, the anatomy of a chicken, the various characteristics of breeds, the process of incubation, how to care for the eggs in incubation, and how to care for the chicks after hatching. 

One classroom in each of the three Casey County elementary schools agreed to host an incubator for the project. Three incubators were delivered to these classrooms in March with all students visiting the classroom to learn about the responsibility of caring for and maintaining a healthy environment for the developing chicks. Each classroom candled the eggs (determining fertilization) and made educated guesses on how many chicks they are to expect. The chicks hatched at the end of March. Out of the 12 eggs each classroom incubated, a total of 7, 7, and 9 were hatched (a 63.8% hatch rate). Due to the chicks hatching right before spring break, the chicks were watched over by the teachers and agent and were returned to the schools upon the students return. The three classrooms are equipped with brooder boxes (environment with food, water, and heat to further chick development) to house the chicks. 

In April, the agent received information on the possible breeds of the chicks in which the students investigated. In the 4-H School Clubs, the students were broken up into teams and were tasked with researching a specific breed and make note on their feather colors, beak and feet colors, as well as the number of toes. Based on their research and observations the students made educated guesses on the breeds of the chicks. At the end of the project, the teachers were asked to find homes for the chicks ensuring they were a well-equipped and safe for the chick’s development. All chicks went home with students (and their families) who participated in the project.

The youth, teachers, and agent learned a lot from this project and plan to continue it in the future furthering the youth’s knowledge of embryology and agriculture in the Casey County community.