Spring arrived with a special kind of excitement at Harvin Clarendon County Library, where a batch of baby chicks recently hatched right in the lobby as part of a children’s program.
The eggs, placed in an incubator on April 2, were carefully tended by library staff in the weeks leading up to the big event. By Day 20, staff reported seeing the first “pips” — small cracks where chicks begin to break through their shells — and hearing soft peeps coming from inside the eggs.
The library posted regular updates to social media during the project, inviting the community to follow along as the eggs neared their hatch date. On April 22, the library announced the long-anticipated news: “The chicks have hatched!”
After 21 days of warm, humid incubation, tiny peeps and wobbly legs filled the library’s front lobby. A brooder was set up to keep the chicks safe and warm under a heat lamp, where visitors could watch them stretch, peep, and explore their new world.
“Our Harvin Hatchlings are settling in and doing egg-cellently,” the library posted, noting that the chicks were eating, drinking, and quickly developing their own little personalities.
The project was a partnership with Clarendon County 4-H, which is coordinating placement of the chicks in permanent homes. In response to community questions on social media, the library confirmed that the chicks would stay at the library through Friday before heading to their new homes.
After a week of charming visitors, the chicks moved on to a cozy home environment, where library staff reported they were “happy and adjusted.”
The chick hatching project was one of several hands-on learning experiences offered by Harvin Clarendon County Library this spring. Up next, the library will host a Summer Literacy Messtival on Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to noon, featuring face painting, guest story time, children’s characters, free refreshments, messy art activities, and free books.
