09 Oct 2011
Late in Term 2 and idea was hatched for students at Lincoln to become involved in an incubation project.
Plans were drawn up for the construction of a cabinet that would provide safe housing for both the incubator and the chickens once they were hatched. With the help of the TAFE carpentry students at Lincoln, the incubation cabinet was constructed and ready for use at the beginning of Term 3.
Week 2 of Term 3 saw the first batch of eggs, kindly donated by David Geering, secretary of the Dubbo Poultry Club, being set in the incubator. On day 10 of the incubation period the students learnt how to candle the eggs and determine whether or not an embryo was developing inside the egg. Excitement continued to grow as the hatching date neared. Day 20 saw the first signs of hatching as eggs began to fracture and beaks appeared slowly pecking their way through the shells. Day 21 saw the boys crowded around the incubator peering through the glass as chickens continued to emerge from their shells. A webcam was set up to observe the chickens hatching at this stage and the whole school was able to join a Bridgit conference and observe the eggs hatching in real time from their individual classrooms.
There has been a lot of very positive feedback from both teachers and students in response to this project. Teacher Mick commented, "The project has given the students in my class the opportunity to observe the incubation process firsthand and take part in a hands-on project that fosters responsibility through animal husbandry."
Students have set the next batch of eggs and are already wondering how many may hatch, perhaps they should be reminded not to count their chickens before they hatch…
