2026-2027 Guilford County 4-H Embryology

Help your students discover the wonder of animal life cycles with embryology. Explore the wonder of the life cycle as your students get to experience hatching chicken eggs in the classroom. The kit includes an incubator, an egg turner (some teachers may need to share), curriculum book, instructions, eggs, brooder tub, and heat plate. New this Year! We will be offering quail as well as chicken eggs this year. Please see below for information to help you decide on which type to incubate. Our 4-H embryology curriculum meets 2nd Grade Essential Standard 2.L.1 Understand Animal Life Cycles We are offering three sessions this year; October 2026, February 2027, and April 2027. Please see the calendar below for dates of each session. If there are not enough spots available for your desired session, contact Lauren ([email protected]) for guidance on how to proceed. Please read all information carefully before placing your order. A ll educators will be required to submit demographic information for their class before they are allowed to pick-up supplies. You will receive a confirmation email with this link upon registration. Chickens or Quail? In addition to our usual broiler chicken eggs, we will also be offering Jumbo Coturnix quail eggs for our fall incubation session! Both are fun and rewarding to hatch, but there are some differences to consider when deciding which is best for your classroom. Quail Pros: • Hatch in just 18 days, so students don't have to wait as long. • Quail chicks are very active and generally hardy after hatching. • Their small size makes them fun and unique for students to observe. • They are absolutely adorable! Cons: • The eggs are dark brown and speckled, making them much more difficult to candle. • Because the eggs are harder to see through, students may not be able to observe as much embryo development. • Quail chicks are very small, so they can be a little more difficult for young children to handle safely. Chickens Pros: • Chicken eggs are light brown, making them much easier to candle. • Students can see more details as the embryo develops. • The chicks are the familiar yellow, fluffy chicks that many students expect when they think of hatching eggs. • Their larger size makes them a little easier for students to observe and handle safely. Cons: • Chicken eggs take about 21 days to hatch, so the incubation process takes a little longer. • Newly hatched chicks can be a little less active and hardy than quail chicks and may require more attention during the first few days. • Chicks grow quickly, so classrooms need to be prepared for their care after hatching. Which is right for your classroom? Choose quail if: You want a shorter incubation period and very active, hardy chicks. Choose chickens if: You want students to have the best opportunity to observe embryo development through candling and experience the familiar yellow chick. All educators are strongly encouraged to attend the training. We will begin the training at 4:15 PM. Anyone who has done the embryology program before is welcome to wait until 4:45 PM to pick-up supplies. All programs are first-paid, first-served. You can choose to pay with card, or by check. If you need an invoice for your school to cut a check, choose "Pay by Check" at checkout. During checkout, you will be given the option to request a receipt or invoice. All payments must be received within 10 business days of the invoice creation date. Payments and classroom demographics must be received before any materials will be assigned. If you choose to pay by check, make payable to "Guilford County" and mail to: N.C. Cooperative Extension, Guilford County Center Attn: Lauren Taubert 3309 Burlington Road Greensboro, NC 27405 Trainings, pick-ups and drop-offs will be at the address listed above. All equipment must come back clean. You will be responsible for any damage to equipment. Each Classroom Kit Includes: • Incubator • Egg Turner • Eggs • Brooder Tub • Brooder Heat Plate • Thermometer • Egg Candler If there are any of these items that you do not need, please let me know in the "notes" section of the registration page. You Will Need to Provide: • Bedding for the Brooder (Pine Shavings, Textured Paper Towels, Shredded Paper, etc) • Feed and Water Dishes (Old jar lids work great) As a public institution, and instrumentality of the State of North Carolina, NC State University is subject to the NC Public Records laws. This means that records provided to the university may be subject to public disclosure. For more information regarding public records, please visit the Office of General Counsel webpage on public records, accessible at https://generalcounsel.ncsu.edu/legal-topics/records/public-records/ In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, NC State University will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Please direct accommodation requests to: Lauren Taubert, [email protected], 336-641-2424. Requests can be served more effectively if notice is provided at least 10 days before the event.