There has been great excitement in Early Years this half term with the arrival of our hatchery and a collection of eggs ready to incubate. The children eagerly followed the 21-day countdown calendar each day, carefully tracking the chicks’ progress and learning all about what happens during the incubation period.

Everyone was thrilled when the first tiny cracks finally appeared and our very cute chicks began to hatch. The children have been fascinated watching the chicks hatch and grow, especially observing their funny antics, from speedy little runs around the brooder box to noisy chirping and snuggling together to keep warm. It has also been very cute to see the chicks curling up underneath their special heated pad, which is shaped like a mother hen. 

To get some exercise, the chicks have sometimes been given the run of a corner or Ms Jennings’ classroom – having lots of fun exploring and waddling around and at the weekends they have enjoyed holidays to different houses with lots of time to have cuddles and freedom. 

The children have also learned about how to care for the chicks properly. For the first 10 days, the chicks enjoyed eating scrambled eggs (an excellent, protein-rich treat for newly hatched chicks, mimicking the natural nutrient-dense diet they rely on) before gradually moving on to chick crumb feed as they grew stronger. The children loved observing feeding times and discussing what animals need to stay healthy. Of course, looking after chicks also means lots of cleaning up, and the children have been very interested to see how much care and attention the chicks need each day. It has been a fantastic hands-on way to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world.

The chicks inspired lots of learning across the curriculum too. In Mathematics, the children counted eggs and chicks, compared sizes, and used our countdown calendar to track the incubation days. In Literacy and Oracy, the children practised speaking confidently about what they could see and shared their observations with friends and adults. They also enjoyed mark making activities by creating imaginative names for the chicks and writing labels and captions for their pictures.

One of the most special parts of this experience is that these chicks are the eggs of the chicks we hatched here two years ago — how amazing to now have their sons and daughters with us! The chicks will stay with us a little while longer before moving to a smallholding to live alongside other chickens, pigs, and goats. What a special experience!

Mrs Pritchard