Baby Chicks

The teacher next door to me received permission from the principal to hatch chicks in an incubator in her classroom. The eggs incubate for 21 days. We watched and waited and her grade 1/2 class learned a lot about chickens!

Katherine worried that only one egg might actually make it. But in the end, 9 chicks hatched!

The chicks starting to hatch inside the incubator.

Their first home in a cardboard box in room 122.

I can't remember exactly when Katherine asked me if I wanted to take the chicks for a night, but with perhaps a little bit of trepidation I said yes, thinking that the girls would love it. We took the chicks for the long weekend and the closer we got to the long weekend, the more the anxiety increased. I was a little freaked out about the dog, but mostly I just didn't want the chicks to die under my watch!

It wasn't too much of an adventure bringing them home, they were cute and noisy and I enjoyed polo-ing Shawn and my sister and showing them the chicks. The girls were super excited when I got home and Milo was unhinged! He did not even begin to know what to make of this animal home invasion.

It was love at first sight.

Milo - the uncertainty begins!

I couldn't get him to leave the house to walk. Then with a bag of treats we walked. Then he sat down and wouldn't get up again, so Ken and Fiona came to get us.

Alice and Fiona named all of the chicks. 

We fed them, made sure they were warm enough and that they had enough water, and of course, they were played with!

And cuddled.

There were four brown/black chicks, one grey chick and four yellow chicks.

At some point on Sunday we put in the next size up water dispenser and it was so much better!

The girls said goodbye Tuesday morning.

Getting them back to school on Tuesday morning was a bit of an adventure only because I did not leave enough time to get them organized to go so I was late... however all was okay and they are happily back at school in a new bigger tote - no more cardboard box for them.

Here are the names that were going to be voted on for the chicks. The grade 1s and 1/2s are voting on their names. Lola - a yellow chick with a brown stripe and Harry - the grey chick are the only ones with set names before the weekend began. The whole school has been gripped by chicken fever!

We didn't really have anything planned this weekend, aside from Ken and his to-do list. I felt kind of bummed that we didn't have anything planned, but it ended up being a restful rejuvenating weekend and the chicks were such a delightful distraction. It really is so special to take care of something so fragile and new.