Hatching ducklings bring joy to Louth primary school

Three ducklings hatched in teacher Kate O’Brien’s classroom at St John’s Junior National School, drawing daily visitors and creating a calm, cheerful atmosphere. The project began years earlier as a way to bring farm life into school and provide hands-on learning. During Covid-19 lockdowns, an incubator was brought home, leading to pet ducks living in the family garden. The original flock included six ducks, but losses reduced the group to Frank, Elsa, and Tulip. After time away from the classroom, Kate reintroduced the project using her own incubator and ordered Khaki Campbell and Indian Runner eggs. Seven eggs were incubated; two were not fertile and two did not survive, while three healthy ducklings hatched successfully.

"There has been great excitement at St John's Junior National School in recent weeks after three ducklings successfully hatched in teacher Kate O'Brien's classroom. The much-loved school project has quickly become a highlight for pupils and staff alike, with the tiny ducklings attracting daily visitors and creating a calm and cheerful atmosphere throughout the school."

"Kate first began hatching ducklings and chicks in the classroom a number of years ago as a way of bringing a little bit of farm life into the school and giving children a hands-on learning experience. What began as a classroom project soon became something much bigger during the Covid-19 lockdowns."

""At the time, I brought the incubator home," Kate explained. "My son Harry was only about four or five and he completely fell in love with the ducklings. That's how we ended up with pet ducks living in our garden.""

"Using her own incubator, she ordered a mixture of Khaki Campbell and Indian Runner duck eggs from a breeder in Kildare. Seven eggs were placed into the incubator. Two were not fertile and did not develop, while two others began developing but sadly did not survive the hatching process, something Kate said is very common when incubating eggs. Thankfully, three healthy ducklings successfully hatched in school on Friday, May 15."

Read at Irish Independent