'Kick back and watch': Sask. farmer offers chick-hatching experience
Cindy Dahlen lives on a farm just south of Saskatoon and about two years ago earned a new nickname – the Chicken Lady.
Dahlen began raising chickens on her farm after she wanted farm fresh eggs and five birds turned into dozens.
“We call it Chicken Math, where you take more chickens, but you can't get rid of chickens, so now I'm up to about 80-some birds,” she said.
Now Dahlen has started offering what she calls the “Chick Hatching Experience.”
“I provide all the equipment; the the incubator, the egg turner, the cage, the heat lamp, the feeders, the food, the shavings, and of course the eggs to incubate,” she said.
“Just kick back and watch.”
Dahlen says the incubating period takes about 21 days, and then five days for a complete hatch. People then have two weeks with the chicks until they need to be returned to the farm.
“I figured it would be a nice opportunity for them to experience it, and raise them, and take care of baby animals and enjoy it,” she said.
The National Farm Animal Care Council requires that hatching eggs must be transported, handled, stored, and incubated in ways that promote health embryos. Live chicks must be removed from hatch residue and be kept, treated, and handled in ways that prevent injury and minimize stress.
Dahlen says she provides people instructions on the incubation and hatching process and a care list to ensure the health and safety of the chicks,
“It's more interactive once the chicks hatch and stuff like that that they get to experience the joy of raising baby chicks,” she said.
The City of Saskatoon’s animal control bylaw prohibits keeping chickens within the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sits out 3rd straight game to open the playoffs
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sat out his third straight game to open the playoffs Wednesday night because of an undisclosed injury.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.