Eggs to Chicks

• Watch the incubator automatically turn eggs like a mother hen would.
• Guess how long it will take each chick to peck its way out of its shell.
• View newly-hatched chicks as they dry out and fluff their feathers.
• Determine which chicks are old by counting their pinfeathers.
• Read books about chickens, eggs, and farm animal life.
• Learn about the chick's behaviors of pecking, eating, and sleeping.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the chick stay inside the egg?
The chick stays inside the egg for 21 days. Inside the egg the chick grows from tiny cells into an embryo and then into a chick.

Why can’t I hold the chicks?
The chick’s immune system is very sensitive at this age. They could easily get sick from our germs.

Where do the eggs come from?
The eggs come from chickens living at Garfield Farm Museum in LaFox, Illinois. It is a national historic site that raises rare breeds of animals, including the Java Chicken.

Where is their mother?
She is back at the Garfield Farm Museum. The incubator keeps the eggs safe and warm and turns them just like a mother hen.

Why aren’t all the chicks yellow?
These chicks are a rare breed called Java which can be black, grey, yellow, white or a combination of these colors. Chickens can be many colors, just like cats and dogs.

Where do the chicks go?
Some of the chicks will return to the Garfield Farm Museum, and others will go to the Chicago Region of Heifer International to be placed with farms in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Why aren’t the chicks moving around?
It takes a lot of energy to break out of an egg shell. Chicks get tired after making thousands of pecks on the shell. They need to rest to gather energy just like people need to take naps and sleep.

Why do they peck at each other and themselves?
Chicks will peck at contrasting colors like a black spot on a white surface. When they peck at each other, they are pecking at the contrast in color. When they peck at themselves, they are grooming to make room for their feathers to come in.

Why are there numbers on the eggs?
The eggs are numbered with dates and codes so that the Museum knows when to move each egg to the small incubator to hatch.

How can you tell a boy from a girl chick?
It is hard to tell if a chick is a boy or girl until it gets older.