- Raising chicks and incubating eggs requires ethics approval. If the hatching of eggs and raising of one-day old chicks is part of a teaching activity and the chicks are kept in a classroom environment (which is a very unnatural environment)the presence of students, no matter how quiet, can be a significant stressor for the chicks, which has potential implications for their welfare, then approval would need to be sought. Where chickens are kept outside in a fenced coop and observed with the hen, no approval is required.
- Young chicks cannot control their body temperature and require a heat source. They are also prone to Coccidiosis infection which can wipe out whole clutches in hours.
- We advise that children do not handle the chicks without the supervision from competent staff members to avoid injury, minimise stress and to avoid overheating.
Consider these options instead
Listed below are examples of some modern, humane alternatives that schools may like to consider as alternatives to using fertile eggs and chicks, which meet the same curriculum objectives, without cruelty:
- Virginia Tech’s “4-H Virtual Farm” Chicken Embryo Development site includes video of chick embryo development, still images, and text on the development process.
- Chick life-cycle exploration set sells a set of 21 egg replicas that show development day by day.
- Chicken Embryo Development Animation of the 21 day development of a chicken embryo in the egg.
If you are unsure if your project requires ethics approval, contact the School’s Animal Ethics Committee for help before you start: animalethicscommitteenz@gmail.com