Chick embryology inspires a child’s natural curiosity about living things. The embryology project also conforms to the Kentucky Department of Education and National Science Standards competencies. The Trimble County Cooperative Agents for Agriculture and 4-H responded to a request from a Bedford Elementary School kindergarten teacher for assistance with this project in 2013. Agents conducted the program and provided leader materials and supplies for the project in which more than sixty kindergarten youth participated.  In 2018 the 4-H agent placed ten dozen eggs from the UK Chicken Research Farm in both Bedford and Milton Elementary Kindergarten and 4^th grade classrooms involving 165 youth.

Students acquired knowledge in the following competencies: (1) Life Cycles – Animals have life cycles including birth, maturation, reproduction, and death. Animals also closely resemble their parents. (2) Living things have basic needs for survival – suitable habitat, food, air, water. Youth also demonstrated competencies in: (1) Calendar Skills – students marked off each calendar day during the twenty-one day development of the chicks before hatching. (2) Writing Skills – Students developed a written report of what they had learned during the embryology project. (3) Vocabulary – In another written piece, each student was able to define the word “oviparous” as an egg laying animal. They also named other animals which reproduce by laying eggs. (4) Sequencing – Students drew and colored the reproductive cycle of the baby chicks. Each of the written pieces was displayed on the school hallways for other students and parents to view. 

Due to Covid, we were not able to do the Chick Embryology Project with schools.  So this year, the Agent received 132 eggs from the UK Research Farm, and placed eggs in 9 incubators in our schools.  This year we had both of our Elementary Schools Kindergarten, 4th 5th and 6th grades participate, as well as we placed 24 eggs in an incubator at our Trimble County Public Library for home school groups to be able to come and participate as well.  This was such a success this year, because we had 325 students in our school system, and still an unknown about who has come to the library to see the eggs and baby chicks that have hatched.