For five weeks this summer, there was something unusual happening in the Youth Services Department of the Burlington County Library in Westampton: People kept coming back to check on four very special residents. It all started with seven eggs nestled inside an incubator. As children and families watched the eggs develop, they learned about the incubation process, peered inside to follow the embryos’ progress and waited excitedly for the day they would finally hear the first tiny chirps.
“The Chick-Hatching Project transformed the library into a living classroom,” said Children’s Department Manager Christine Holcombe. “It gave children, families and visitors a unique opportunity to witness the life cycle of a real animal up close and experience the wonder of new life firsthand.”
Not every egg made it to Hatch Day. Two were determined to be unfertilized, and one embryo stopped developing. But four eggs continued to develop, eventually hatching into four chicks: two yellow, one gold and one brown. After children cast their votes, the new library celebrities became Charlie, Buttercup, Nugget and Cocoa Puff. The chicks attracted visitors throughout the summer project, with families returning again and again to see how much the birds had changed. Some came to scheduled programs, while others simply stopped at the library’s Chick Desk to check on the progress of the growing birds.
In all, 1,308 children and adults took part in the project. Scheduled programs — including Egg-citing Science, Egg-cellent Adventure, Chick Name Voting, Baby Chick Birthday Party, Pics with Chicks, Modern Day Dinosaurs and Chicks to Chickens — drew 875 participants. Another 433 visitors stopped by the Chick Desk just to observe. The biggest turnout came for Pics with Chicks, when 343 children and adults flocked to the Children’s Department for the chance to have their pictures taken with the newly hatched chicks.
For Library Director Ranjna Das, the numbers tell only part of the story. “The project provided meaningful educational experiences rooted in science, literacy and observation,” Das said. “Children had opportunities to explore life cycles, animal adaptations, responsibility and empathy while asking questions, making predictions and sharing what they observed.”
Throughout the summer, library staff built on the experience with books, songs, STEM activities and hands-on discussions, turning the chicks into a springboard for learning.
And the project became more than a science lesson. Families returned to celebrate milestones together — from the first hatch to the chicks’ birthday celebration. Children suggested names, watched the birds grow and talked with library staff and one another about what they were seeing.
“It had an even larger impact on our connections with the community,” Holcombe noted. “Families, caregivers, educators and library staff all came together around a shared experience.”
The adorable chicks - Charlie, Buttercup, Nugget and Cocoa Puff - left the library on July 29 to begin the next chapter of their lives through the Rent the Chicken network of farms, where they will continue to grow before eventually joining backyard flocks or serving as educational chickens for future hatch programs.
The incubator may be empty now, but the project left behind something more lasting: thousands of questions asked, observations made, books explored and conversations sparked. What began with seven eggs became a summer adventure for more than 1,300 people, showing that sometimes the best classroom is one where something is growing right in front of you.
“It was truly one of the library’s most memorable summer experiences,” Das said.
