12 eggs peeping!

12 eggs
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

We can hear one of the chicks peeping aready!

Foster Chick Care Class

Foster Chick Care Class (1)
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Hailey instructed 12 new Foster Chick Parents how to prepare for their new arrivals. Everyone is very excited! As the eggs hatch the chicks will go with a brother or sister to their foster home until mid May.

Egg Hatching 2009

Egg Hatching 2009 (2)
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Come to the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library in Zionsville and watch our eggs hatch! It should be very exciting each day as six eggs are scheduled to hatch beginning Monday, May 4th.

The Hatcher Set Up

The hatcher set up
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

The heater is set to maintain a temperature of 98°-99° F. A bowl of water is in the hatcher to create a humid environment essential for the development of the chicks.

Doug Akers Adding the Eggs

Doug Adding the eggs
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Doug arrived at noon on April 30th with 12 eggs in an egg cartoon. They have been in an incubator since April 15th & 16th. They have moved to our hatcher at the library for their last few days of incubation.

Laura's Chicken Run 2009

The Coop 2009
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

This is where Laura's chickens spend most of their time. We only let them out to run around the yard at the end of the day when we are around because of the hawks. We lost 6 chickens and a duck to predators this spring.

Queeny Wins Showmanship 2001

Queeny Wins Showmanship 2001-2585_IMG
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Queeny is such a tame chicken it helped my son win Beginner Showmanship at the 2001 4-H Fair.

Queeny

Queeny And Jill
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

This is Queeny. She is a Bantam White Crested Polish hatched in 2000... that makes her nine years old! She no longer lays eggs but helps keep the insects under control. Queeny has survived several raccoon, owl and hawk attacks and is the oldest chicken I have ever raised.

Egg Hatching at the Library

Welcome to Egg Hatching at the Library 2009

Hatching chicks at the library began in the Spring of 2000 when a young girl asked Librarian Laura how to hatch and raise baby chicks. She desperately wanted to raise them but lived in a big house in the suburbs where raising chickens was not allowed. After a few meetings with library staff we decided hatching chicks at the library would be a fun project for the community to enjoy.

Through the help of our Purdue Extension Educator we secured a hatcher for the last week of incubation and hatched duck and chicken eggs for a period of about 10 days.

One night it was difficult to close the library. A chick was hatching infront of about 10 children and their parents. We sadly closed the doors and had to wait until the next day to see the results. The next year our Information Services manager organized a Live Web Camera where everyone could watch the eggs hatch 24/7.

Children also asked if they could take the chicks home. Knowing most of the children could not keep them we decided to create a program where children could adopt them for a few days or up to two weeks. The children were trained and had to pass a test to insure the safety and health of the chicks as well as themselves. The program has grown with the addition of library programs about chicks and a large collection of chicken books and movies.

This year we will hatch chicks the week of May 4th. During that week we will hatch White Leghorns. As the chicks hatch they will be sent home with trained Foster Chick Parents who will keep a diary and share their experience with friends and neighbors.

This year we are adding a blog to answer questions and post information as it is requested.