Beginning of Life 4-H School Enrichment Project

1. Beginning of Life4-H School Enrichment Project

2. About the Project • Science Based, Hands-on • Helps teach SOL’s • Extension provides educational resources for the project • Leaders Manual • Suggested Activities • Youth Activity sheets • WWW Sites

3. http://ulisse.cas.psu.edu/4hembryo/index.html • What You Need to Know to Have a Successful Project • Planning and Scheduling Checklist • The Chicken • The Egg • The Reproductive System and Fertilization • Incubation • Trouble Shooting • Embryo Development • Answers to Commonly Asked Embryology Questions

4. http://ulisse.cas.psu.edu/4hembryo/index.html • Links to other embryology sites • jpeg images of embryos, hatching, shell window, etc.

5. Chicks never go home with students Find home for chicks before Starting Project. This is not just a chick hatching project Actively involve youth Candle Eggs regularly Keep Records Help youth observe embryonic development Project Expectations

6. How do I Successfully Hatch Eggs? • Proper Preparation and Planning • Quality Fertile Eggs • Student Buy In • Good Incubation Management • Patience

7. Preparation and Planning • Choosing a workable time frame • 25 day time period • Avoid holidays • Weekend egg turning? • Wednesdays usually a good day to start eggs

8. Preparation and Planning • Order and secure fertile eggs

9. Quality Fertile Eggs • Proven Source • Proper Collection and Storage • 50-65 Degrees F. • 70% Humidity • 7 days Maximum • >35o and <82o critical • Other Factors • Nutrition, age of birds • Chicken Eggs are best

10. Preparation and Planning • Secure incubator in advance • Clean incubator • Avoid strong contaminants • 25% bleach solution • Setup and test incubator a week before project to begin • Use 2 thermometers? • Incubator location? • Avoid drafts, direct sunlight, heat & AC outlets

11. Preparation and Planning • Inform coworkers and custodial staff • Power outages? • Lower school temps on weekends? • Tampering

12. Preparation and Planning • What happens to the chicks? • Do not distribute them to students! • Illegal to send < 6 chicks home • Will you keep the chicks a couple of days to discuss the brooding process?

13. Chicken and Egg Basics

14. Hen Anatomy

15. Function of Embryonic Membranes • Yolk Sac • Food • Amnion • Protection • Exercise • Chorion / Allantois • Respiration • Waste • Minerals from shell

16. Start Up Day • Have the incubator ready to go • The eggs arrive • Store eggs small end down • Allow a couple of hours for eggs to come to room temperature • Wash excessively dirty eggs with warm water • Candle eggs

17. Candling eggs prior to incubation Good quality hatching egg Cracked Poor quality large air cell dark yolk Two Yolks

18. Start Up Day • Have the incubator ready to go • The eggs arrive • Store eggs small end down • Allow a couple of hours for eggs to come to room temperature • Wash excessively dirty eggs with warm water • Candle eggs • Put a number on large end of each egg • Put “X” and “O” on each egg

19. The Importance of Egg Turning • Mark eggs with “X” and “O” on opposite side of eggs • Turning prevents embryo sticking to shell membrane • During school days turn eggs 3 time per day • Turn once per day on weekends • Stop turning on day 19

20. Incubation Management • Temperature • 99.5 - 100.5 forced Air • 100.5 - 101.5 Still Air • Humidity • 60%

21. Maintaining Humidity • Use of water pans - lots of options • Importance for chick health • Prevent sticking to shell • Keeps amnion fluid • Provides for free embryo exercise • Prevent crippled chicks

22. Incubation Management • Temperature • 99.5 - 100.5 forced Air • 100.5 - 101.5 Still Air • Humidity • 60% • Turning • 3 times daily • Once daily on weekends • Candling • Records

23. Fertile vs. Not fertile