Humane Alternatives for Chick Hatching

by Mary Miller, Farm Manager, Lollypop Farm

With warmer weather approaching, chick season is nearly here. Each year, thousands of fertilized eggs are purchased from farms and hatcheries for classroom chick-hatching projects. But is this practice truly humane? Let’s explore the issue.

The first major question to consider is what happens to the chicks after they hatch. Sanctuaries, shelters, and rescues are already overwhelmed with animals needing homes. Most lack the space, staffing, or resources to accommodate every chick from hatching projects. Occasionally, the original hatcheries will accept the chicks’ return, but sometimes these hatcheries euthanize them due to biosecurity concerns—they cannot risk introducing new diseases to their flock. Occasionally, families of students will take chicks home, but many are unprepared for the long-term commitment and specialized care chicks require. Is it truly humane to bring chicks into the world when many may never have a safe, suitable home?

The second key concern is the health and safety of the children involved. According to the CDC, live poultry should not be kept in schools, childcare centers, and other facilities with children younger than 5 years old. (CDC, 2025). Children are especially susceptible to illnesses caused by germs commonly found in poultry, such as Salmonella and E. coli. Although poultry lack teeth, they can still injure children with their sharp beaks or claws. Not only can children be pecked or scratched, but these injuries also provide another route for exposure to harmful bacteria.

We should also consider the health of the chicks themselves. Chicks incubated artificially can suffer deformities and illness if their needs are not met. They require precise temperature, humidity, and careful positioning. Improper turning of eggs in the incubator can result in organs adhering to the inside of the shell, causing serious harm.

What if the eggs hatch over a weekend or during a school holiday? The chicks could be left unattended for extended periods, putting their health and safety at risk. Additionally, because incubators, heat sources, humidity regulators, and egg-turning devices all rely on electricity, a power outage or equipment failure could have devastating consequences for the developing chicks.

Chicks from hatching projects are also deprived of their mothers, missing out on crucial imprinting and bonding experiences. Chickens communicate with over 30 different vocalizations, and a mother hen starts teaching these calls to her chicks before they even hatch. While she gently clucks to them from her nest, the chicks respond by chirping back to her and to each other from within their shells.

But don’t fear, there are many humane alternatives to chick hatching projects in schools.

1. Hatching Kindness Project Set

a. You can loan the Hatching Kindness Project Set from the Science Bank

for free! This set includes books, posters, and a chick life cycle exploration

set. 

2. Chick Life Cycle Exploration Set

a. You can purchase the chick life cycle exploration set for your classroom.

This set has 21 eggs that crack open to reveal realistic illustrations of the

chick life cycle. 

3. Cornell Lab Bird Cams

a. The Cornell Lab Bird Cams has great footage of a red-tailed hawk

hatching eggs. You can also find other live camera feeds of birds caring

for eggs and chicks in a natural setting on Youtube.

4. All About Bird Anatomy

a. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology also has an interactive anatomy guide

titled All About Bird Anatomy by Bird Academy.

5. Virginia Tech’s 4-H Virtual Farm

a. This is a virtual hatch project where you can watch a video of chick

embryo development and read about the development process.

6. Chick It Out App

a. P.E.A.C.E. Humane has a free Chick It Out App! The app is interactive

and explores egg development, life stages, and anatomy!

7. Schedule a visit to your local farm animal rescue or sanctuary and meet their resident chickens! Most have a humane education department that will be more than willing to teach your students all about the chick life cycle.

Resources:

https://www.upc-online.org/hatching/alternatives.html

https://www.shy38.org/hatching-kindness

https://www.animalearn.org/live-animal-use

https://opensanctuary.org/chick-hatching-alternative-lesson-plan/