Library chicken project goes on

Spring has sprung as chicks have hatched from a project that marches on when everything else has stopped.

Spring has sprung in the area as baby chicks have hatched from a project in combination with Lorain Public Library System and Sally Hennessy, 4-H STEM program assistant for Ohio State University Extension.

A project that started over 20 days ago was intended to give children and students the chance to understand the life cycle of a chicken, Hennessy said.

Students get to log measurements such as humidity and growth in books that have details about the chicken’s development through the OSU Extension 4-H STEM ChickQuest programming, she said.

Over the last two years, Hennessy has been all over Lorain and Elyria hatching chickens and educating children.

“I bring them free with no charge to the schools and organizations,” she said.

There are 18 activities that go with the curriculum in the egg hatching project.

Hennessy said that although the experiment is geared toward third- to fifth-graders, she’s seen great results with high school students.

“They were able to apply the chicken’s development to humans in ways I haven’t seen before,” she said. “They were very protective and energetic about the entire project.”

Hennessy said the chicken eggs are delivered from Meyer Hatchery in Polk, Ohio, in various colors, breeds, shapes and sizes.

Due to the local libraries closing because of the novel coronavirus, Hennessy took five incubators filled with eggs to her home.

“This is all I’ve been doing, hatching and taking care of the chicks,” she said.

Because so many students and library visitors were excited about the updates of the chicks, Hennessy created an Instagram account, watchthehatch, to document the progress.

“People were just so excited about their updates and I wanted to be respectful to the teachers and librarians who have put so much effort into watching them grow,” she said.

The hatching process requires a lot of attention to detail, Hennessy said.

“You have to keep them in a heated environment and measure the humidity,” she said. “You also have to candle them to make sure they’re developing properly.”

With the project being based on various factors, sometimes chicks don’t make it, Hennessy said.

“It’s not an extremely unusual thing that happens, but it’s still sad,” she said.

Hennessy has hatched 13 eggs from the five incubators she brought home last week.

There are a few eggs that still need to hatch, grow and be placed, she said.

“When the chicks are ready, we take them to farms around the area,” Hennessy said. “A lot of them become part of existing flocks.”

Hennessy said before she orders the chickens she has to make sure she has a place to deliver them once they’re ready.

“I take them to trusted farms and people that I know have clean areas and aren’t rookies,” Hennessy said.

Throughout the experiment, Hennessy said she hopes children and teachers have learned to appreciate the life cycle of chickens and the process of raising them.

“They’ve had an experience of being in control of something and producing a healthy creature,” she said. “It gives them an appreciation for the maturing process.”

Hennessy hopes the students grow an appreciation for agriculture and become curious about where their food comes from.

“It’s just amazing what they learn,” she said. “They get to set up a habitat and truly understand the science behind the process.”

COURTESY OF SALLY HENNESSY An hour-old chick is surrounded by eggs that have yet to hatch.