Designed by: Sally R. Funderburk     School: A.C. Flora High School

GRADE LEVEL: 9-10                    SUBJECT: BIOLOGY

OVERVIEW: This lesson plan involves incubating quail eggs and observing the behaviors of newly hatched precocial chicks. Students will work together monitoring, turning, and weighing the eggs. The students will also identify the structures within a fertilized egg and their functions. The students will observe the development of the embryo over the incubation period and then will observe the hatching of the chicks.

FOCUS/ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): What are the structures within an amniote egg and what are their functions? How does a bird embryo develop? What are the stages of hatching? What are the structures in an adult bird and what are their functions? What is imprinting? What are some adaptive behaviors of birds that help them survive? Can you illustrate the development of a quail?

TIME FRAME: This is an activity that covers the 16-18 day incubation period of the quail eggs. The time required each day is minimal, however. While the eggs are incubating, there is time spent on other lessons such as vertebrate anatomy and physiology, or animal behavior studies.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:

Biology text such as Biology: Principles and Explorations (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1996) under vertebrates (p. 770-798)

Quail eggs (I order from Frey Scientific)

Incubator with thermometer

Electronic balance or scale

Poster board

Colored markers

Graph paper

Web sites such as:

 www.refdesk.com 

www.orst.edu/dept/animal-sciences/poultext/

Books on quail such as Quail Manual, (Marsh Farms Publications,1965) from Sargent-Welch or Incubating Eggs of Domestic Birds, (Clemson Extension Services, 1988)

Quail Egg Project directions

Reference materials on animal behavior

Safe environment or farm for the quail after they hatch (Plan in advance)

Food and water for the quail chicks

Brooder (box with heating pad or a light bulb for warmth)

Laser disk player

Bio Sci II laser disk under Development

CULMINATING ASSESSMENT: The product of this project will be a poster. The following items should be included on the poster:

* Poster Title

* Diagram of egg containing embryo (structures labeled)

* Illustration of the sequence of hatching

* Graph of egg weight over time              {12.5 points each

* Illustration of adult quail (external structures labeled)

* Illustration of adult female (internal structures labeled)

* Paragraph report on a) imprinting

  {Choose one

b) pecking order 

c) precocial vs. altricial birds

* Paragraph report on Quail, including appearance and courtship and nesting behavior

In order to complete this assignment, students must be diligent in their duties of caring for the incubating eggs. The egg viability is about 60% if everything is done properly. With student error, viability is expected to be less.

INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Days 1-18

Essential Questions:

What are the structures within an amniote egg and what are their functions? How does a bird embryo develop? What are the stages of hatching? What are the structures in an adult bird and what are their functions? What is imprinting? What are some adaptive behaviors of birds that help them survive?

Activities:

The teacher will distribute the Quail Egg Project sheet to the students and allow time for discussion and answering questions. The class should be divided into groups based on the number of eggs. It is best for each group to have its own egg. I usually have four students in a group. The poster is a group project, so I have one poster from each group of four. The eggs will need to be ordered (or obtained from a breeder), and the incubator set up. Once the eggs have arrived, the students will need to know how to care for them.  The eggs must be turned at least three times a day and weighed once a day. The students should be assigned these duties in rotations. One student at that rotation should turn all the eggs at the same time. Marking the surface of the egg with an 'X" helps to know what side should be up or down. On hatching day, be prepared for excitement and disappointment. The chicks should be kept in the incubator that day. The day after hatching, they can be moved to a brooder (a box with a heating pad or light bulb), and the behavior studies can begin if the teacher wishes to address another objective. Some suggestions for behavior studies include pecking order, imprinting, and visual cliff. After the students have observed and recorded these behaviors, the chicks can go to their designated farm.

It takes about ten minutes to turn the eggs and weigh them. One member from each group should record the egg weights each day. One log with the different eggs listed by columns and the days of the week listed as rows is ideal for recording the weights. The rest of the class period can be devoted to working on some aspects of the poster assignment. Students will need to meet within their groups periodically to choose their part of the assignment and to monitor each other's progress. Students from different groups can compare the weights of their eggs to each other's eggs. Time should be given for students to use the Media Center for research. It is a good idea for drafts of the reports to be submitted to the teacher or peers for feedback prior to submitting the final work. The day before the project is due, I allow the entire class period for the students to finalize their work. The posters should be displayed, and other classes may wish to observe the hatching and behavior studies. Plans should be made for incubating and turning the eggs over the weekends. Some students are scared of this responsibility, so the teacher can assume that task. Good luck!

Quail Egg Project

The product of this project will be a poster. The following items should be included on the poster:

* Poster Title

* Diagram of egg containing embryo (structures labeled)

* Illustration of the sequence of hatching

* Graph of egg weight over time                                     {12.5 points each

* Illustration of adult quail (external structures labeled)

* Illustration of adult female (internal structures labeled)

* Paragraph report on a) imprinting

b) pecking order             {Choose one

                              c) precocial vs. altricial birds

* Paragraph report on Quail, including appearance and courtship and nesting behavior

In order to complete this assignment, students must be diligent in their duties of caring for the incubating eggs. The egg viability is about 60% if everything is done properly. With student error, viability is expected to be less.

Directions:

A. Incubator temperature must be 99.9-103 degrees F at all times until 3 days before hatching and then it can be a few degrees lower. Incubator humidity must be 84-86% at all times (foggy window) If eggs are losing weight, then humidity is too low. This means keep incubator closed except to turn and weigh the eggs. There is a window to "see" how eggs are doing

B. Eggs need to be turned 3X a day. Use the X as your orientation point.

C. Weigh the eggs daily. This can count as one of your "turns". (Replace egg 1/4 turn from original position)

D. The teacher will candle the eggs every few days to check the progress of the embryo.

Leave other eggs alone

Minimize handling

Do not change the incubator setting. Report to teacher if temperature or humidity needs to be adjusted

Do not jeopardize your group's grade by misconduct or neglect of your responsibilities.

E. Upon hatching, the chick needs warmth, water, and antibiotics.

16-18 days incubation (depends upon temperature; the warmer, the faster)

Start:___________________

Hatching date:____________ Project due date:_______________

Rubrics