Farm Bureau volunteer & retired teacher Connie Crawford conducts 'egg'speriments with the students at Stanton Elementary School.
Farm Bureau volunteer and retired teacher Connie Crawford conducts ‘egg’speriments with the students at Stanton Elementary School.

This spring, in spite of the continuing frigid temperatures outdoors, over 850 students in 12 elementary schools around Jefferson County enjoyed one of the many wonders of spring… the peeping of baby chicks! Thanks to Jefferson County Farm Bureau and its army of ChickQuest volunteers, students have experienced a month-long project where classrooms take on the responsibility of incubating eggs – monitoring temperature and humidity on a daily basis until – and after 20-21 days, they are rewarded with watching their eggs hatch into chicks.

ChickQuest volunteers delivered and set-up the incubators, in most cases focusing on third grade classrooms and talked to teachers and students about how to care for the incubator. The volunteers then returned to the classrooms once a week to do STEM ‘egg’speriments with the students. Through this instruction children learned about the development of the egg and the lifecycle of a chicken.

They have also learned new vocabulary such as albumin, chalazae, osmosis, transparent, translucent, opaque and permeable. In addition they performed experiments to learn about how and why an egg is so strong, and what about the egg allows the chick to form inside. Some classrooms were even able to candle the eggs around day 5 and could see the tiny heart beating inside the shell. At Wells Academy the hatch came a bit early – but the teachers were prepared as they used Facebook Live to livestream their hatch on the school Facebook page on a Sunday afternoon.

Our 'Chicken Whisperers' at Wells Academy who were a huge help to the teachers (left to right)- Alivia Casinelli, Lucy Jo Saccoccia, Kylie David
Our ‘Chicken Whisperers’ at Wells Academy who were a huge help to the teachers (left to right)- Alivia Casinelli, Lucy Jo Saccoccia, Kylie David

Students also learned that eggs can come from a hatchery, or from a local farm. As long as the eggs are fertile, they will hatch! Many thanks to local farmer Ben Batenburg of Rayland as well as other farmers around the county for supplying many of the eggs used this spring!

The spring hatch has already completed at CAA of CC Wintersville Head Start.

Students at BJKM enjoy their chicks!
Students at BJKM enjoy their chicks!

West Elementary, Karaffa Elementary, Wells Academy, John Gregg Elementary, and North Elementary. Students at Stanton Elementary, Hills Elementary, Bishop John King Mussio Elementary, East Garfield Elementary and Jefferson County Christian School are currently monitoring their incubators with hatch dates expected between April 25 and May 5. Following those hatches, the ChickQuest incubators will travel to Wintersville Elementary and the School of Bright Promise to close out the 2018 hatch.

This project is possible due to the long hours of volunteers, cooperation with teachers and a grant obtained by the Jefferson County Farm Bureau this year from the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation.

 

 

Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
Mandy Way's avatar
Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
Ernie Welch's avatar
Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong communities
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
Jaclyn De Candio's avatar
Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
Jenna Gregorich's avatar
Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
Jared Hughes's avatar
Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
Austin Heil's avatar
Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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