Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Experiencing Birth

During the last two days we have been so fortunate to watch two chicks hatch from their shells.
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It has been fascinating to observe and realize how much effort it takes for each chick to hatch.
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Once their head is out they use their feet to push and push.  Also we watched how the chicks, that have already hatched, respond to the hatching chick. 
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Sometimes we saw them pecking on the outside the egg as if they were helping.
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Or they would stay close to offer support, cheeping and cheeping.
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And then when the chick is finally free of the egg they cuddled up beside the newborn.  Was it for warmth and a gentle welcome?

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As we watched I started to hear children and adults ask questions.  I recorded them so we can look for some answers.
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One question I did hear several times from the children was “Why is it taking them so long to come out?”  We tried to explain but I decided that experiencing it may prove more interesting.  So I pulled a box out of the storage room and we pretended it was our egg.
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The children were encouraged to go in and try to break a hole in the side of the box (and no we did not seal them in).
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They couldn’t.  They did tire quickly which gave them a glimpse of how the chicks might feel.
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They had a lot of fun being a chick hatching.
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 By the end of the morning four chicks had hatched.  There are still 12 more eggs.