Everyone Knows Chicks Dig APES!
Abma’s Farm in Wyckoff, NJ offers programs to schools interested in incubating fertilized chicken eggs. The incubation process takes approximately three weeks, during which eggs are housed in a special incubator. An egg turner ensures eggs receive equal and consistent heating to ensure a successful brooding process. When the chicks hatch, they are transferred to a simple brooder system constructed by one of our school's wood working students. The brooder is lined with recycled wood shavings and a heat lamp provides the baby birds with heat. The chicks are expected to remain in the classroom for approximately 2 weeks after hatching.
From an animal welfare perspective, the most important consideration of this project is the safety of the animals. To this end, our chicks will be donated to Rocky Farm a 10 acre, family owned egg farm in Hillsborough, NJ. The family raises their flock of chickens as pets, ensuring all animals will be provided a safe, comfortable and stable living environment. This presents AP environmental science with an enormous opportunity to study a wide variety of relevant class topics in a humane and environmentally sustainable manner.
Connection to APES Curriculum:
Hatching chicks in class allows AP environmental science students to study major topics present in the AP curriculum and frequently seen on the AP exam through the development of their own observational studies. These studies are centered around specific and relevant topics included in the AP Environmental Science curriculum developed by the College Board. Such topics include:
From an animal welfare perspective, the most important consideration of this project is the safety of the animals. To this end, our chicks will be donated to Rocky Farm a 10 acre, family owned egg farm in Hillsborough, NJ. The family raises their flock of chickens as pets, ensuring all animals will be provided a safe, comfortable and stable living environment. This presents AP environmental science with an enormous opportunity to study a wide variety of relevant class topics in a humane and environmentally sustainable manner.
Connection to APES Curriculum:
Hatching chicks in class allows AP environmental science students to study major topics present in the AP curriculum and frequently seen on the AP exam through the development of their own observational studies. These studies are centered around specific and relevant topics included in the AP Environmental Science curriculum developed by the College Board. Such topics include:
- The flow of energy between trophic levels
- Ecological productivity
- The biogeochemical cycles (especially the nitrogen cycle)
- Population dynamics
- Sustainable agricultural practices
- Land use policies
- Anthropogenic impacts on the environment
- Water pollution (specifically through eutrophication and ocean acidification)