During the last two days we have been so fortunate to watch two chicks hatch from their shells.
It has been fascinating to observe and realize how much effort it takes for each chick to hatch.
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.
Sometimes we saw them pecking on the outside the egg as if they were helping.
Or they would stay close to offer support, cheeping and cheeping.
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?
As we watched I started to hear children and adults ask questions. I recorded them so we can look for some answers.
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.
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).
They couldn’t. They did tire quickly which gave them a glimpse of how the chicks might feel.
They had a lot of fun being a chick hatching.
By the end of the morning four chicks had hatched. There are still 12 more eggs.
