All About Chickens! (Upper Elementary/Middle School)
Follow along as I raise a flock of chickens from egg to adult, and learn nearly everything you need to know before getting chickens in this eight week self-paced course for upper elementary and middle school aged learners.
Kristin Olsen
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(39)
What's included
8 pre-recorded lessons
8 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will complete assignments individually, spending about an hour each week working on the course.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
Beginner Level
Have you always dreamed about living on a farm? Having chickens, goats, or cows? Waking up at 4am to an obnoxious rooster crowing? Or maybe a Turkey gobbling at your back door at 5am, impatiently waiting for his breakfast? Or maybe you live in the city but love fresh farm eggs for YOUR breakfast? If you're ready to jump into farm life with your own back yard chickens, you've come to the right place. This course will cover the basics from hatching to laying as we follow the life of a baby chick from just days old, to eight weeks of age. Written lectures, assignments, review questions and videos showing the chicks growth progress (for oooohing and aaaaaahing) are provided. Occasional worksheets/handouts will be provided as well as various links for further learning. Week 1 - Incubators: Pros and cons of using an incubator or letting a broody hen hatch her own chicks. Week 2 - Egg Development: Learn to candle eggs and why it is important when using an incubator. Week 3 - Hatching: Watch some hatching videos or check out pictures of just hatched chicks, as well as discuss why it is important that the chick hatches on its own, without help. (See parental Guidance Note) Week 4 - General Chick Care: Feeding and caring for just hatched chicks. Week 5 - Chicken Breeds: Learn about different breeds of chicks and their benefits. Week 6 - Chicken Coop Design: Learn the basic housing needs of a chicken and design your own coop! Week 7 - Chicken Care: Treating issues that may arise over the course of owning chickens. Week 8 - Egg Laying: The process of laying an egg and a brief chicken anatomy lesson.
Learning Goals
The student will:
Learn the pros and cons of using an incubator or broody hen to hatch eggs.
Learn why it is important to remove non-viable eggs from the incubator.
Understand why it is important for chicks to hatch unassisted.
Be able to select chicken breeds.
Be able to identify features in an ideal chicken coop.
Learn different types of chicken feed for various stages of development.
Learn basic chick care.
Syllabus
8 Lessons
over 8 WeeksLesson 1:
Incubators
Pros and cons of using an incubator or letting a broody hen hatch her own chicks. Lesson 2:
Egg Development
Learn to candle eggs and why it is important when using an incubator. Lesson 3:
Hatching
Watch some hatching videos or check out pictures of just hatched chicks, as well as discuss why it is important that the chick hatches on its own, without help. Lesson 4:
General Chick Care
Feeding and caring for just hatched chicks. Other Details
Supply List
Learners should have a notebook available to place their notes and handouts from class to use as a reference when they have chickens. Various school supplies (such as pencils, glue, colored pencils, etc) should be made available.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
The students may enjoy further learning using various websites, youtube videos, or books throughout the course.
Joined June, 2020
4.8
39reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
My husband and I own a direct to consumer regenerative farm. We have an assortment of farm animals, including chickens.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$5
weekly8 pre-recorded lessons
8 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Completed by 25 learners
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Ages: 8-13
