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I was the star of the show!
This duckling was the same egg used for all of the pictures and videos posted here!

Our class noticed that this egg was developing faster than all of the rest, and we predicted that it would be the first to hatch. Our predictions were correct! After many hours of hard work, soon-to-be-named Duckling #1 has entered the world!

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Today our incubator went into “lockdown”!

This means we took out the turning tray so the eggs won’t rotate anymore, and put the eggs on a lower tray to give more room for hatching. We won’t open the incubator between now and after they hatch, to keep it humid inside.

Today we also learned about the hatching process:
1. The duckling will use it’s egg tooth to pip (break) into the air cell. This is called the internal pip.
2. The duckling will pip a small crack into the shell using the egg tooth. This will be the first time the duckling is exposed to air from outside the shell. The duckling will rest for several hours after creating the first pip, while it learns how to breathe.
3. After resting, the duckling will begin to saw a circle around the shell.
4. After sawing a full circle, the duckling will be able to emerge from the shell! It will come out wet and tired, and will need to stay in the incubator for several hours to dry it’s down.

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It’s the last time to candle the eggs!

Stay tuned for updates throughout the week!

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Today we cooked and misted our eggs for the final time!

On Monday, we will remove the automatic rotator, so that the eggs stop turning. This will allow the ducklings to orient themselves to be beak-up inside the egg for hatching.
We will also remove the turning tray, and replace it with a hatching tray. The hatching tray is lower than the turning tray, which gives the ducklings room to move around post-hatching.

We also learned that the ducklings will come out of the shell very wet, and will need to stay inside the incubator for a few additional hours to dry before they can be moved to their enclosure.

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This is our video that will be played on the school announcements!

(Yes, announcements are in video format now, not over the loudspeaker like they used to!)

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Today we noticed many of the same changes we have been seeing — the eggs are very opaque inside and very dark.

Tomorrow will be our final day to cool and mist the eggs as a class; on Monday we put the eggs into lockdown to prepare for hatching!

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Today we noticed that nearly the entire egg is opaque inside!

Soon students will be writing persuasive writing pieces on why their choice for a name is the best choice!

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Today we noticed it is getting much harder to see inside of the eggs (which is a good thing)!

Towards the end of the video, we captured some awesome movement from the embryo!
(The light from candling is quite stimulating for the embryo, so it usually causes a bit of movement inside.)

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Today we noticed lots of dark, opaque areas inside the eggs. It is harder to see the veins, and there is less of the whites.
The air cell is getting bigger too.

We continued to mist and cool the eggs today.

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Our duckies were lonely with no students today! But they’re still working hard to grow and develop into baby ducklings :)

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Much more movement today!!

Today we got to teach another class all about the duck eggs, and let them help us with cooking and misting the eggs!

Next week we will really begin to see a clear embryo, and next week will be our past week of candling the eggs before they go into “lockdown” to prepare for hatching!

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Today we noticed that there are veins growing into the albumen (whites). The air cells have gotten bigger. We now know that the ducklings will eventually poke their beaks into the air cell in the final days before hatching.

We continued documenting their growth, and once again misted and cooled the eggs.

Tomorrow the students will teach another first grade class about everything we have learned so far!

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Today we continued to cool and mist the eggs. This involves lots of student participation!
Students first must use an infrared laser thermometer to measure the external temperature of the eggs, and monitor the temperature to make sure the eggs cool to 86° before misting.

Then, students assist in finding the perfect temperature for lukewarm water to fill the spray bottle. Afterwards, a few students per day assist in misting the eggs!

It has already been such a joy to watch students vocabulary usage increase, and to see the nature-classroom connection!

Nearly halfway!!

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Today we began cooling and misting the eggs to simulate the natural events of a duck nest!

For this process, we remove the lid of the incubator for approximately 20 minutes, until the eggs cool down to 86°. Then, we must then using lukewarm water. This also helps to somewhat soften the shell for easier hatching.

(So sorry for the quality of this picture, my phone was really struggling to pick up on the eggs in the dark. Tomorrow I’m going to try using two flashlights to candle them for the picture. Fingers crossed!)

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Today we observed that the germinal disc has developed into an embryo.

We also will be keeping an eye on the air cell (at the bottom of this egg, where the light is bright white). The air cell will slowly expand as the embryo develops.

On Monday, we will begin misting the eggs. This is to simulate a mother duck getting up off the nest, swimming, and returning. We will allow the temperature of the eggs to slightly drop each time.

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Today we observed more significant movement inside the eggs!

The darker cluster towards the bottom of this egg is the beginning of an embryo!

Three more weeks!

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Today we observed more vein development, and saw the first signs of movement inside the eggs!!

We added an entry to our Duck Diaries to show what they look like.

We also collectively decided that our sixth egg is not showing any signs of development, and it is time to remove it from the incubator.

(FYI- I’ve been trying to use the same egg for these updates so you all can really see the progress! :)

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Wow! What a big change 24 hours can make!

Today we observed significant changes in 5 out of 6 eggs! We will continue to watch the 6th for another day, but it is likely not fertilized.

We saw veins developing around the germinal disc.

We also practiced candling eggs to view the inside.

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I spy veins beginning to develop!

Today we learned about the parts inside an egg, and performed an “egg dissection” using standard, unfertilized chicken eggs from the store!

Students should be able to use the following vocabulary terms: shell, yolk, albumen, germinal disc, chalaza, and veins.

To try this activity at home, crack an egg into a dark-colored bowl or plate, and examine the different parts!

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Today we learned why ducks follow their mother. We also learned that mother (female) ducks are brown so they are camouflaged with their nest. On the other hand, father (male) ducks have brighter colors, and green heads.

We also discussed why duck eggs need to be rotated during incubation. This is to keep the egg evenly warm, and more importantly to make sure the yolk and embryo do not stick to the shell.

Lastly, we got prepared for some of the changes to look for next week, especially the development of veins.

Stay tuned for bigger updates next week!

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Pre-Incubation: yolk floats at the top of the egg

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Today students watched this video, but weren't told beforehand what it was about. Their challenge was to figure out what was happening in the video. Afterwards, they got the news that our class will be hatching ducks!

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Victoria demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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David demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Connor demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Aniyah demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Joey demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Chanel demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Isabella demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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James demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Fallon demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Dahlia demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Kanika demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Jack demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Sam demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Armani demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Callie demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Dominic demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Sabatino demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Tessa demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Hailey demonstrates how to candle an egg.

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Joshua demonstrates how to candle an egg.