Saying Hello to Our Chicks

Day two and we arrived to find six more chicks, two of them freshly hatched. 
 
Once they were dry we moved them from the incubator to the brooding bin.
 
I wanted the children to have the opportunity to hold the chicks but I was nervous of how careful they would be so we established a few rules.
   
Only a parent or myself could take a chick out
and the children had to be sitting down.
 
It was a highlight of my day to introduce a chick to a child.  Then handing the responsibility over to them to gently care for it.
  
They were so careful as they checked it all over.  Gently pulling on it’s little wing,  counting it’s toes and snuggling it close.
    
      
It has been a wonderful time for grown up and child to share this special moment.
   
And for our youngest to reach and stretch and try to get their hands on them.
     
                  
Many parents used the opportunity to use our resources to reinforce how the chicks were made.  They also took the time to read a few stories about chicks as they sat together.
   
The children were shocked to see the chicks poop, and we saw a lot of it on day 2.  Does that mean they are eating?  Another Mother Hen worry.
 
We’ve named some of the chicks and will continue to think of some for the
others as we continue to watch them.

Experiencing Birth

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.

They are Hatching!!

I’m so excited and tired.  It’s been a busy, fun day watching four little chicks hatch.  It’s almost ten at night and I just got home from moving them from the incubator to under a brooding light.
                    
                 I feel like a mother hen worrying over her chicks. 
                         Will they be warm enough tonight? 
                      
                            Tomorrow I'll give the full story.
              Tonight I just wanted to share our wonderful news with you.

Coloured Salt

                
We had been playing with thistle seed in the sensory bin for a month when I felt it was time for a change.
                
I thought of salt because it’s inexpensive and it can be coloured.  It was very easy to dye.  In a large tub I placed the salt and several drops of food colouring then using my hands I rubbed the colour through the salt.  It worked great and surprisingly didn’t stain my hands.
                 
                    With 8 kg of salt I made 4 colours. 
            It looked very attractive for a very short time.

          
The coloured salt was a hit.  I love the size of this pool because a lot of children and adults can fit around it at the same time.
                  
             After one session the colours were all blended .
          
It’s still very attractive.  The light colour, after using the dark thistle seed, gave a fresh feeling.  The salt doesn’t spread around the floor as much as the seed did, a bonus.