Youth Club Partners with Darien Library to Hatch Chicks

DARIEN, IL - The Darien Dragons 4-H Club has placed two dozen eggs in an incubator at the Indian Prairie Public Library. Library website visitors will also be able to watch the eggs, and eventually chicks, live via web cam.

“This is a special opportunity for youth in the area to watch baby chicks hatch, up close, and learn about eggs, embryos and chicks,” said Tricia Giron, leader of the Darien Dragons 4-H Club, in a release. “It is a captivating, hands-on opportunity to engage youth in science.”

According to a release, the club will monitor the equipment, care for the eggs and provide educational opportunities this spring. The library also plans to set up a live web cam to track the process, which takes about 21 days.

“What is more fascinating than seeing a fully developed baby chick emerge from an egg?” said Deanna Roby, 4-H Youth Development Educator for DuPage, Kane and Kendall Counties, in a release. “Just three weeks of incubation transforms a seemingly lifeless chicken egg into an active, living being.”

In addition to daily monitoring, the 4-H club members will be helping the library with an upcoming science workshop, and in May when the chicks hatch, they will show others how to handle the baby chicks properly.

“It provides a memorable and personal experience with science,” said Natalie Williams, Head of Youth Services for Indian Prairie Public Library District, in a release. “People are more likely seek out information and remember what they learn when they watch it come to life, when they can hold it, and play with it.”

The first special event, “Mini-Scientist Academy: Eggs to Chicks,” will be Friday, April 21 from 4 to 5 p.m. Children kindergarten to third grade can learn about embryo development, incubators and more. To register, visit the IPPL website at calendar.ippl.info, or call 630-887-8760 ext. 264.

On Monday, April 24, at 6 p.m., library visitors are welcome to join the 4-H members as they candle the eggs, a process that uses light to identify if eggs are fertile and to determine the stage of embryo development. Chicks should hatch around May 8, and the white leghorn chicks will spend about a week at the library before going to their new homes.

Throughout the month-long project, visitors can view the eggs in-person anytime the library is open and library website visitors can watch the eggs, and eventually chicks, via live web cam, which will be available at www.ippl.info.

“Families will learn about life cycles; they will get to observe, hypothesize, log progress, and engage in activities, including art,” said Williams. “This is the kind of experience that reminds us that we are always surrounded by opportunities for hands-on learning. We want to encourage families to play and learn together. I admire that these parents actively seek out and create experiences for their children, and for the kids in our community, to grow and interact with the world around them.”

Photo provided by 4-H Youth Development University of Illinois Extension.