Day 1: Today we put 18 eggs into the incubator. Even though this is our project, Mrs. Mandella allowed
the other classes to choose four eggs and label them so they could track the weight and progress of the chick eggs also.
Day 2: We have to keep the temperature and the humidity at the right levels for the eggs to develop.
We will record the temperature each day on a chart.
Day 3: Weekend
Day 4: Weekend
Day 5: We are learning about the parts of the egg and the ways that those parts are helpful to the
embryo. We made egg models to illustrate each part.
Day 6: The rooster and the hen are very different. Mrs. Mandella showed us how to tell the difference.
We discussed the reproductive systems of both.
Day 7: We are carefully monitoring the incubator. It has to remain at 99.5 degrees and 70% humidity.
We add water every two days.
Day 8: The chicks will be born on May 8th, we think. We are looking at how the chicks develop each
day. We are going to make a development poster to show the changes of the embryo into a chick.
Day 9: On day nine we candled our chick eggs and Mrs. Mandella accidentally dropped one onto the
candler. To candle means to hold the egg up to a light and see the shadows of the development. The egg cracked so we could
not incubate it any longer. The developing chick would die. We opened up the egg and turned our accident into a learning experience.
We were amazed at the changes the egg had undergone in only nine days.
We saw the vitelline blood vessels that formed just under the shell. They bring oxygen to the embryo.
We saw the oversized pupils of the chicken and the chicks beak forming. The heart was beating for a short time after we opened
the shell. The egg cell was enlarged, the yolk sac was there and there were loads of blood vessels everywhere. It was sad
that one of our chicks died, but it was also interesting. We took some pictures and measured our baby chick. Mrs. Mandella
is going to put them on the class web site.
Day 10: Weekend
Day 11: Weekend
Day 12: Today we added more water and we checked the temperature. Everything looks
good. We will candle the eggs on Thursday to see more development. We are starting to put together a multi-media presentation
using Microsoft Powerpoint. There are four teams that are writing slides for each area of embryology. We are working on the
introduction, parts of the egg and their function.
Day 13: Today we collected data. We weighed the eggs, checked the temperature and water in the incubator.
We are getting ready to make a brood. A brood is where the chicks will live when they are born. we have to have a decent size
pen, with a light to keep them warm. We need food and water that is in special containers. We need to put something on the
bottom so their feet won't slip.
Day 14: Today we candled the eggs. They have really grown. We see development in all the eggs. We
were really surprised when one of them kept moving around. They are very active at this stage. When you candle the egg you
hold it up to light. We saw the air cell, the chicks pupil, it looks like we saw feathers too. The chick is taking up most
of the inside of the egg.
Day 15: Everything looks good. We are all getting real excited. We have to build a brood for the
chicks when they are born. A brood a place where they will live until the get big enough to leave us. The brood will
be about four feet long and it needs to have a source of light for warmth. They need food, water and a floor in it that will
not be slippery otherwise they will get straddle legs and they won't walk properly.
Day 16: Weekend
Day 17: Weekend
Day 18: Today the eggs were taken out of the egg turner and placed onto cheese cloth inside the
incubator. We can't touch them anymore. They will get into a position to start hatching. We expect our babies on Day 21.
Day 19: We added water because the humidity is most important at this stage. They need to be moist
to get out of their shells. It helps them move around more easily.
Day 20: Happy Birthday and surprise. We had 6 babies born today, a day early. Did we miscalculate
or was the incubator too warm? We think that the eggs may have started incubating on the day Mrs. Mandella picked them up
because that was the day that it was in the 90's. The eggs will start incubating as long as the temperature is high enough.
They look really wet and tired when they come out, but they walk in just a few minutes. They only chirp when we open the incubator
because they get cold. When they dry we will move them to the brood. The brood's temperature is ninety degrees which is about
ten degrees cooler than the incubator. They will adapt to room temperature in about a week.
Day 21: Happy Birthday! We are the proud surrogate parents of 1 baby chick. Stop by our classroom
and see them! All together we have 7 baby chicks!
