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Hatchlings delight residents

May 7th, 2020

With no outside entertainers or groups allowed due COVID-19 visiting restrictions, Points West Living Athens Creek in Penticton came up with its own in-house entertainment; a mini chick hatchery. Residents kept a close (social distancing) eye on the incubator for days, and were rewarded for their diligent patience when five chicks broke out of their shells.

Why not hatchling chickens?

Athens Creek residents have welcomed visits from a full grown chicken in the past, so recreation coordinator Ellie Bertrand thought, why not hatchling chickens? Ellie turned to Quality Farms in Vernon, which operates a professional/educational ‘Hatch-a-chick’ experience. They provided the fertilized eggs, the incubator, temperature alarms, learning material, and ongoing support during the incubation period.

“We incubated the eggs for nine days,” says Ellie, “And of the seven eggs we had received, we could see life in only five of them. Mid-incubation, we had a three-hour power outage. Our incubator became cool, but we moved it over to a sunny window and surrounded it with mugs of hot water. Even with the power turned back on, I was concerned we may not have a good hatch.”

Watching and waiting...

“We moved the container and incubator to an indoor windowed area to allow for maximum viewing while still considering social distancing,” says Ellie. “Some of our residents pulled up a walker and waited patiently for our chicks to arrive. Others just stopped and had a peek as they passed by. Their arrival brought excitement and joy to our residents.”

It turns out, Ellie was right about the five viable eggs. “Our first chick arrived at 4:30 am, followed by the second at 1:21 pm, and the remaining three pecked their way to the outside world. “Barbara Jensen agreed to be the new chicks’ resident mother hen, and she did an excellent job.”

Shared stories and new experiences

“Many of our residents shared stories of when they’d hatched eggs. Other residents were excited because they hadn’t experienced anything like a chick hatching before.” Once their fluff began turning to feathers, a community friend, who looks after the PWL Athens Creek fish tanks, adopted the chicks. “We’re getting updates and hoping for more pictures soon.”

“Caring for the chicks let our residents give back,” Ellie adds, “and in some residents, has sparked the desire for a community pet, leading to resident empowerment.”

Photo: Residents keep an eye on the incubator, watching for chicks to hatch.

More photos at Flickr: Hatchlings delight residents