Help Create an Eggcellent Hybrid Class Experience!

Funded Dec 22, 2020

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you so much for funding this project for my students. They were so excited when the incubator arrived in the mail, and couldn't wait to get it up and running.

Initially, we had trouble starting up this project because our mated chicken pairs stopped laying eggs. Finally, our Muscovy duck laid eggs, and we incubated five of them. The students' spirits lifted as we began seeing vein development within the eggs. Students who were typically uninterested in participating during class were suddenly curious and involved in learning about the life cycle of chicken eggs. Everyone would ask for updates on the embryo development. Unfortunately, the eggs did not develop past 10 days. We accepted this as a learning opportunity and refused to give up. It was educational to see what a 10 day old embryo looked like!

The students and I were now back to square one. After another week, a miracle happened. One of our leghorn hens finally laid a single egg! We quickly collected it and set it up in the incubator. We were all extremely hopeful after the embryo made it past 10 days. I shared in my students' excitement, as I had never hatched an egg before. After exactly 21 days, we finally had a new addition to our farm. Not only did students learn about chicken embryo development, but they also learned how to properly rear chicks.

We cannot thank you enough for providing us with this amazing opportunity! The incubator will most definitely be put to use each year in an attempt to not only teach my Agriscience students about poultry, but also grow our farm.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Algaze