Chicks Hatch at Lowrance Middle School

For the past three weeks, students in Beth Tucker’s class at Lowrance Middle School have been incubating 20 chicken eggs.

“The kids had to turn the eggs three times a day,” said teacher Bonnie Cristina.

Last night, the first eggs hatched and, by 11 a.m. today, all but a couple of the eggs had hatched. One chick was drying was still drying out in the incubator while the others cavorted in a tub warmed by a heat lamp.

“The kids have been so excited,” Cristina said. “They just love this.”

Principal Valeria Raynor dropped by the classroom with some students, and everyone who wanted to visited with the chicks.

“I loved doing this project,” Tucker said. “We were able to incorporate it through all academic content areas (math, science, social studies, reading/literature) as well as functional life skills. I loved seeing how much the kids enjoyed caring for another life. They took this project very seriously.”

The fertilized eggs came from April Bowman, a 4-H youth development agent with Forsyth County Cooperative Extension. After a few more days at Lowrance, Bowman will pick them up and they will grow up on a farm. 

Bowman came to Lowrance to train Tucker and Cristina provided all of the resources, curriculum, and the eggs.

“I would highly recommend the embryology program,” Tucker said. “4-H is a great partnership to have within our school system to enhance the learning of our students.”