Meka Farm in Hancock is renting out one of the quintessential experiences of farm life – the hatching of chicks.
Audrey Carrel, who owns and operates the farm with her husband and family, said the idea of renting out equipment to incubate and hatch chickens came about after her family did a similar project for her son, Kessler.
“I was homeschooling my son, and we had this cool incubator, and we were able to follow along with the eggs’ development like a hands-on science project,” she said. “It just came out of a desire to know more about where our food came from.”
The farm is primarily meat-based, she added, which is part of why she thought it was important to focus on the life cycles of animals living there. Her family raises pigs and sheep and chickens for meat, as well as eggs and fleece.
“The next year, we decided to offer it out to our community,” Carrel said. “We wanted to be able to share it.”
Those who have taken part in the egg-hatching project, she said, have enjoyed it. People who rent the equipment for $75 will receive an incubator, a dozen hatching eggs, a fully equipped mini-hutch for the chicks and detailed instructions and advice on the hatching process. They can also order goose eggs instead of chicken eggs. Orders can be placed starting on April 1, and the materials are available throughout the summer.
Carrel said the project also includes an egg candler, or a light to illuminate the interior of the egg to see the stages of development.
“You’ll be able to learn how to identify the embryo, notice when the egg tooth is developing, or the feathers and eyes,” she said. “It’s just neat stuff.”
Those who don’t want to keep the chickens can return them to the farm, where Carrel and her family will raise and look after them. People who want to keep the chickens are welcome to do so as well. She also cautioned that there are no guarantees with the eggs, and the gender of the chickens is not something they can control.
Carrel said that she hopes people who hatch the chicks will enjoy it, and learn something.
“Just gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the life of the chicken, from egg to chick,” she said. “It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s a project that adults and kids can really get into.”
For information, visit mekafarm.com.