Growing In Knowledge

Study embryology

• Read and outline one article on embryology.
• Draw your own embryonic development chart and display it at school.
• Compare embryonic development of different living things: birds, mammals, etc.
• Write a report describing common embryonic deformities or abnormalities.
• Develop a new hybrid bird that will be a good meat bird, a good layer or both good meat and layer.
• Make a chart showing the dominate and recessive traits for the birds that you are crossing. List the possible results of cross breeding.

Building an incubator

• Collect specifications on different incubator models.
• Design or build your own incubator.
• Consider such factors as cost, ease of construction, durability of materials and efficiency.
• Do a cost analysis between a purchased incubator and the one you build.
• What are the costs for each?
• List the pros and cons of building your own incubator.
• Give an incubator building demonstration. Incubate fertile eggs in your own incubator.
• List ways to improve your incubator model.

Incubation requirements

• List 10 mistakes one could make while incubating eggs. Discuss ways to prevent mistakes.
• Conduct an experiment with different incubation requirements: i.e., use lower or higher temperatures. Relate these experiments to embryo abnormalities. Present the results of your experiment.

Nutritional requirements

• Look up and record National Research Council nutrition requirements for commercial poultry.
• Write a report describing the changes in nutrient requirements between a chick and an adult bird.
• Determine costs of raising and feeding meat and/or egg birds.

Behavior of birds

• Observe chicks daily and write a report on their behavior. See if you can discover a pecking order.

Origin of birds

• Read a history of chickens or of a particular breed.
• Prepare a report on the origin of a breed of chickens and show how certain characteristics resulted from the breeding.
• Include skin color, feather coloring, egg color, etc. Tell about the variations within the breed. Tell how the chicken is used in the economy.