Often at school they do really interesting projects. They are often not only interesting but also educational.
i suppose it must be done at quite a few schools, incubate a few chicken eggs, follow them for a few weeks, let them hatch and out pops a little cute chick.
The class was very excited with the project and we would get daily progress updates of the eggs. Finally the eggs hatched and everyone was very happy.
Number 1 was so excited by the whole thing, her enthusiasm somehow not only rubbed off on to number 2, but also The Wife.
We were going to do it at our house.
“we could let them hatch and then keep the chickens so they can lay more eggs”, the wife suggested.
She even played the economic card, “that way we won’t ever have to buy any eggs.”
“we’ll save loads of money and be self-sufficient.”
“in eggs”. piped up number 1.
It had almost been fully thought through.
To try to make the most of this I suggested we conduct some research and fully plan the project. Hoping that after a bit of effort everyone would lose interest and move on to the next idea.
Unfortunately, we had to visit the local pet shop to get some tips on the various breeds of chickens, best nest materials, types of lamps and so on.
the lady at the shop was very helpful. she answered all the kid’s questions, and even very helpfully suggested the best eggs that would definitely hatch. and if through a very bad run of luck none of the chicks actually hatched she could get us some babies to carry on the drive to self-sufficiency.
my look of panic and suggestion that our eggs would definitely hatch so we wouldn’t need to come back for any chicks, did not seem to register with the kind lady.
we gathered all the nesting material, just like the school set-up: cardboard box, fluffy insulating material to keep the eggs snug and warm, and a nice incubating light.
but getting a real incubating light might have been a bit over the top, so i volunteered my desk reading lamp, which looked as though it would work just as well.
At this point the Wife had gone off the idea of self-sufficiency but had started to distance herself from another potential pet disaster.
the rest of us were very excited, and all the pieces were in place.
we flicked the switch and we were off.
we monitored progress. everyday.
all looked well.
After a few days, I was a bit nervous that things would start to smell a bit. But there was no discernible odour to give the game away.
Time went by and the enthusiasm did not diminish. The kids were getting more excited the closer we got to hatching time.
I still might not have fully worked out how to explain the non-hatching eggs. But I still had a few days to come up with something credible.
the due day came. nothing hatched.
I suggested they might be late, as some babies don’t always arrive on time. plus there was no odd smell of rotten eggs.
after a couple of days number 1 let it out, “maybe they won’t hatch?”
“let’s give it a little longer, you never know” i tried to keep positive and hopes up.
after an extra week number 2 had given up and had a suggestion “we could cook them and have boiled eggs for breakfast. with soldiers.”
number 1 did not bat an eye, “they won’t hatch. let’s throw them away”
They had also forgotten about the pet shop lady’s offer of live baby chicks.
I couldn’t understand why the eggs hadn’t hatched. it may have been the lamp. but it could have been the eggs weren’t right. but they were the best eggs we could get. very strange.
