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FAQ for School & Childcare

When can I participate in a program?

You can participate in the program at any time during the school year, subject to availability. The earlier you book, the better your chances are of receiving the date you want.

 

How long is the program?

Hatching Chicks is a 12 day program unless there are any public holidays that interfere with the schedule. We usually deliver on Monday and collect on Friday of the second week. About a week before the delivery date, we will send you an email to confirm the booking and finalise your address and contact details. Please ensure that you give us the contact details of the person who will be meeting us in the morning, rather than a head office number.

 

When can I expect the delivery?

If you do give us a mobile number, then we will send an SMS to this account, which will provide the recipient with our planned arrival time, and they can track us to see how we are progressing, just like a courier tracking app. This way, you’ll never need to call us to find out where the driver is, as it will always be at your fingertips.

 

What should I do before the driver arrives?

When the driver arrives, please provide them with a table that's at least one meter long by half a meter wide. The table will need to be located within a meter of a double power point, or please organise an extension cord and a power board if the powerpoint is not close by. It’s great to have it somewhere where you can supervise it easily and where there's a fair bit of room so that a small crowd of people can stand around and see what's happening.

 

Where can the equipment be placed?

There are three other points to consider (other than access to power) when finding a location for your program - you cannot place it in a location that gets direct sunlight, you cannot place it near a heater, and you cannot place it under an air conditioning unit. Try to choose a spot that has a fairly stable temperature throughout the day.

 

What will I get?

We'll set up the incubator. You will receive between 8 and 11 fertilised eggs, depending on availability. We'll prepare the brooder box with a heat lamp, bedding, a drinker, a feeder, and food.

 

Can the children handle the chicks and ducks?

Yes, the chicks are not timid, and they enjoy being handled gently once they have recovered from hatching. As they grow older, they love to be taken out of the box for a run around. You can ask the children to sit in a circle and place the chicks in the middle. This is also a good opportunity to let the children handle the chicks while they are sitting down. You can make a temporary enclosure out of large building blocks to put the chicks inside or outside in the warmer months. You will need to stay with them outside, as they are prey for crows and currawongs.

 

What will we do with the chicks over the weekend?

You have 2 options - either someone can take them home for the weekend or a member of staff can come in on the weekend to look after them. In case you are wondering, it is quite safe to transport them in the perspex brooder provided it is not too cold - just make sure to take the water out prior to transport to avoid spills.

 

Do they require a lot of work to maintain?

No, during the first week, the chicks will not need much attention as they are so small, they sleep a lot and do not eat or drink very much. During the second week, you will need to change the bedding at the bottom of the brooder box regularly, fill up the water, and top up the feed containers daily. This is a chore that children enjoy doing.

  

What happens at the end of the program?

We will collect all of the equipment and hatchlings. If any person wants to purchase the hatchlings they must complete the Adoption Application first, followed by their purchase. They will need to complete this paperwork by no later than Wednesday before we collect the equipment. We can also supply them with any feed or equipment they need in order to look after the hatchlings.

Allow the children to have enough time to say goodbye to the chicks and ducklings. If we have your mobile number, you will receive an SMS from us detailing the time of the collection.

 

Need a copy of the Risk Assessment?

It is located at the bottom of the page .

Hi Team at Hatching Chicks, I wanted to thank you sincerely for your professionalism and support as we took on some chick and duck eggs as part of our science unit. The Kindy students were thrilled and even though we organized the eggs for our Kindergarten students we had students and staff from across the school visit regularly for updates. Our ES1 pages in the newsletter for 2 weeks are filled with photos of the chicks and ducklings and lots of happy faces! Unfortunately, we lost a chick which was part was through the hatching process and 4 eggs did not hatch (we followed the program to the letter and all the recommendations). The three Kindy teachers (including me) were devastated but we explained this to our students before we took on the eggs and then again after-explaining it is part of nature. We know now first hand how true the phrase is "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." They were cute, a little smelly at the end (the ducklings we suspect) and provided us all with a memorable experience. We will definitely be using your company in the future and would recommend you to other school or families who are interesting in hosting the program. We are thrilled that all the chicks (5) and ducklings (3) have found homes with Belair families and know that these families will keep us all up to date with stories of their new pets.

Rozi Marsh

Assistant Principal

Belair Public School

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