Young chick breeders hatch a plan to find out what came first the chicken or the egg!

A GROUP of young Derry people have helped to hatch nine eggs as part of an innovative project to help them learn about the life cycle of hens. The members of the Foyle Down Syndrome Trust (FDST) recently took part in the 21-day programme titled, ‘What came first the chicken or the egg?’. The project was the brain child of Fiona Anderson, Outdoor Learning and Development Officer at FDST, who has a background in poultry breeding. “I have quite a lot of experience breeding poultry, but I no longer do it because I work full time,” she explained. Fiona borrowed the eggs from a local breeder and worked with children and young people aged between four and 35 at the Trust to document their incubation. “Halfway through we were able to scan the eggs and see which ones had chicks in them,” she explained. “Towards the end the eggs actually begin to move because the chicks are moving inside them which is very exciting for everyone.” The chicks were all given names including ‘John Nugget’ and have now been returned to the breeder who will look after them until they are six weeks old. After that it is hoped a few of them will return to FDST where they will live in the garden. “At 25 weeks old they start to lay eggs and we can incorporate that with our cookery programme,” added Fiona. “It’s great because it helps show where our food is coming from.”