Nursery World - Elisa Allen, PETA – Respecting living things: why we should stop chick-hatching projects

Chick-hatching projects teach children the wrong lessons and cause immense animal suffering, says Elisa Allen, director of PETA

Elisa Allen: 'The reality is that chickens are sensitive animals, not teaching ‘tools’. Anyone who spends time with these clever, inquisitive animals knows that each bird has a distinct personality'

In our quest to show children the wonders of the lifecycle, it is easy to be enticed by a chick-hatching project – especially at Easter. But despite our good intentions, doing so causes harm and teaches young people a lesson in insensitivity.

Such programmes place fertilised hens’ eggs in an incubator until they hatch – sometimes along with pre-hatched chicks. In nature, chicks are incubated by their doting mother, who ‘talks’ to them before they hatch, turns the eggs up to 30 times a day, and carefully monitors warmth and moisture levels. Those kept in classroom incubators can easily become sick and deformed.

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