'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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.