In our quest to show children the wonders of the lifecycle, it is easy to be enticed by a chick-hatching project – especially at Easter. But despite our good intentions, doing so causes harm and teaches young people a lesson in insensitivity.
Such programmes place fertilised hens’ eggs in an incubator until they hatch – sometimes along with pre-hatched chicks. In nature, chicks are incubated by their doting mother, who ‘talks’ to them before they hatch, turns the eggs up to 30 times a day, and carefully monitors warmth and moisture levels. Those kept in classroom incubators can easily become sick and deformed.
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