Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – One of the phrases used over and over in the 4-H realm, “learning by doing”, became a reality for some Garland County students over the past several weeks. About a dozen members of the newly formed Hot Springs 4-H Schools Club chose embryology and poultry as their project. Upon receiving project books to help them learn about their project, students began to ask if there was any way to purchase fertile eggs to try to hatch. Many of the members had never been around chickens before, so most were quite clueless about hatching and raising chickens. Not knowing where to begin to find fertile eggs, we called one of the Garland County Fairgrounds poultry superintendents for possible contacts. He was very instrumental in providing the group with 36 “possibly fertile” eggs.
Incubation of eggs in the classroom setting is usually quite hard, especially when the incubation begins with day one. Eggs take 21 days to hatch. Usually Styrofoam incubators designed for hatching eggs are used. This type of incubator sometimes presents a problem with keeping the humidity at the correct level. The temperature and humidity inside an incubator are very critical for a good percentage of hatching live chicks. Because of the two-day weekends, many times eggs are lost due to the loss of humidity as the incubator is unmonitored on those days.
Lots of other factors play an important part of a successful classroom hatch. One factor is to make sure opening the incubator is limited. Kids are excited about the prospect of baby chicks and naturally will want to open the lid to check on them, especially as the hatch time nears. Small windows on the lid of the incubator make seeing the eggs difficult, but raising the lid for anything other than adding water should be extremely limited.
Another factor for a successful hatch rate is to be sure the room outside the incubator remains at a constant temperature. Temperature changes in the surrounding room can affect the temperature of the inside of the incubator. Temperatures of less than 70 degrees can make it difficult to keep the inside of the incubator warm enough for the embryos to develop.
Also of importance is to not handle the eggs with bare hands. Even if hands are washed, oils from a person’s hands will remain on the outer shell of the egg, causing the porous shell to not absorb the humidity properly. Although it is best not to handle the eggs, when it is necessary gloves should be worn.
The 4-H’ers monitoring the incubation process at the Hot Springs Schools 4-H Club worked together to make sure all the variables that could harm their project were addressed. First of all, they placed the incubator in a place where students would not bother the incubator. Signs were posted alerting the rest of the students that “incubation was in progress and please do not disturb the chicks”. A schedule was developed by the students themselves for monitoring the humidity constantly. Protocol was developed and posted near the incubator as to what was to be done if the humidity or temperature wavered beyond certain boundaries. “Google” was used to log the temperature and humidity so that all the project members could access the document telling what was happening at all times. Each member of the team had a specific job. Weekend monitoring was important as someone was responsible for checking on the process even on Saturdays and Sundays.
After a thrilling (but somewhat stressful) three weeks of incubation, 32 of the 36 eggs hatched in the classroom—a percentage rate that was remarkable for a classroom incubation process! As the project was ongoing, the kids learned about responsibility and teamwork. Hard work and dedication to this project really paid off for them. Look for these chickens to be shown at the fair this fall!
By Linda Bates County Extension Agent - 4-HThe Cooperative Extension ServiceU of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Linda Bates County Extension Agent - 4-H U of A Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service 236 Woodbine Hot Springs AR 71901 (501) 623-6841 lbates@uada.edu
The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.