It’s been two weeks since we began incubating the duck eggs, and one week since we started the chicken eggs (we staggered when we put them in since chickens and ducks have different lengths of time to incubate and we want them to all hatch the same time). I expected that thanks to little hands that think it’s fun to turn the knob and adjust the heat in the incubator without us being aware of it for hours, we’d end up not having any hatch. And though I expected it to be a boring process of just waiting until the last day or two when there is sign that they’re ready to hatch, I was wrong!
I read somewhere that you can actually shine a light on the egg if you’re in a dark room and see the developing bird inside. My kids did this with the duck eggs by shining a flashlight directly on them, and this was very exciting for them! Thanks to their observations, it so far looks like 12 of the 15 eggs we started with are developing, contrary to my expectations that we wouldn’t get any. You can actually see along the shell that there’s a vein-like pattern on those that are growing, and see the tiny developing embryo moving. It’s quite remarkable.
They tried to take a video so I could put it here on my blog, because they said it was so interesting that all of you would want to see it, too. But because it has to be done in a dark room, it was too hard to clearly video it since with the necessary light for the picture to be clear, you can’t see what’s happening inside the eggs. So those of you who are interested will just have to rent an incubator and get your own eggs started. 🙂
Seeing this development on their own has motivated them to closely read the books I got out from the library. Dd13 is trying to figure out exactly what body parts she’s seeing develop. I suggested that they regularly journal their observations, but whether they do this or not, I already think it’s a valuable learning opportunity.
Two more weeks to go until the hatching should be complete!
Avivah
How exciting – for your family and for those of us reading about this. What a wonderful experience for your children as well as being so educational. I can’t wait for the hatchlings to make their appearance. Thanks so much for sharing all of this.
So neat! Too bad we live in a townhouse. Just one more reason for me to daven for a house with a yard. 🙂 Good luck with this great project!
My class did this when we were in sixth grade and I remember it so clearly (even the shining the light through the egg part). I also remember how we had to carefully wash our hands before touching the eggs because we were told the oils on our skin could clog the pores (or something like that). I think it’s incredible that you and your family are doing this and I would like to do it with my own kids, someday.