The Secret Chicken Society Read Free Page A

didn’t have to turn the eggs anymore. “The eggs need to rest for the last days,” Mrs. Lopez told them. The class still continued with their notes in the egg journals.
    Daniel hovered over the incubator every chance he got, so he was the first one to see the eggs hatch. On the twenty-first day after the class got the eggs, Daniel was returning to his seat from the pencil sharpener. He checked the incubator for the millionth time.
    Tap, tap
. Daniel peered through the window.
Could that sound be coming from inside?
    Tap. Tap. Tap
. The noise was so soft that it might have been Max tapping his pencil on his desk. It might have been Katrina tapping her toe. It might have been Mrs. Lopez tapping her ruler.
    But it wasn’t. Daniel looked close. He saw a tiny hole in one of the eggs.
    â€œIt’s hatching!” he cried.
    All the kids gathered around, pushing to get a better look. Mrs. Lopez told the tall kids like Max and Katrina to kneel in front of the table. She let the shorter kids like Allison, Sam, and Harry stand behind them. But Daniel kept his place right in the front.
    The egg rocked back and forth. Cracks appeared in the shell.
Peep! Peep!
    â€œLook!” yelled Sam. “A chick! I can see it coming out!” The shell split. Daniel could see wet, yellow feathers. But the chick still didn’t come out.
    â€œI think it’s stuck,” said Allison. She frowned. “Can I pull the shell off?”
    â€œNo,” said Daniel. He shook his head, but he didn’t look up. He didn’t want to miss a thing. “You can’t help.”
    â€œThat’s right,” said Mrs. Lopez. “Rule number one. No touching the eggs while they are hatching. The chick has to be strong enough to break out on its own.”
    Daniel leaned closer, folding his arms on the table. “You can do it, little guy,” he said softly. “Come on, chicky.”
    Finally Daniel saw the rubbery membrane break. The egg rocked harder. The shell split apart. Out popped the wet chick.
    â€œIck!” said Katrina. “It’s all slimy!”
    â€œThat’s normal,” said Mrs. Lopez. “Soon it will dry and look fluffy.”
    The chick had a big head and little wings. It tried to stand, but fell a few times before it could. Its feet were huge and it had dark eyes. Was that the egg tooth on the top of the beak? Daniel knew that chicks have a sharp point on the top of the beak for pecking a hole in the eggshell. A few days later that tiny tooth would fall off.
    After the first chick hatched, other eggs began to pip. Other chicks started hatching. The kids leaned close. Everyone had something to say. Everyone talked at once.
    â€œI think they’re ugly!” said Katrina.
    â€œNo they aren’t,” said Max. “They look like baby dinosaurs!”
    â€œThis is amazing!” said Fiona.
    â€œHere comes a wing!” shouted Harry.
    â€œHe’s coming out,” said Allison. “Oh my gosh, this is so cool.”
    â€œLet me see!” ordered Sam.
    â€œWow! See how it pushes? Mrs. Lopez, can I hold him?”
    â€œCan I?”
    â€œCan I?”
    Mrs. Lopez laughed. “We can’t hold the chicks until they are dry.” Carefully, she scooped each wet chick up and set it under the heat lamp. When the chicks dried, their feathers fluffed out like dandelion puffs. Daniel grinned. He liked the perfect tiny beaks, claws, and combs.
    When four chicks were settled under the heat lamp, Daniel turned to Mrs. Lopez. “When will the other eggs hatch?”
    â€œThey might not,” said Mrs. Lopez. She looked tired. “I think we are pretty lucky to get four chicks.”
    In the end, five of the eggs hatched. The next day, Mrs. Lopez moved the five chicks to the brooder. The class had built the brooder out of a cardboard box lined with straw and shavings. There was a heat lamp to keep the chicks warm. There was a food tray and water