Department of Education and Training



Keeping Chickens in Victorian SchoolsSchools that would like to use chickens as part of a teaching activity must apply and receive approval from the Victorian School Animal Ethics Committee (VSAEC). Schools who keep animals as pets do not require approval from VSAEC. All teaching activities involving the use of animals must occur in accordance with the Australian use and care of animals for scientific purposes 8th edition 2013 (the Code). The 6 step process for planning, sourcing and conducting chicken based activities in schools is outlined below:left130175Step 1: Consider the Curriculum and the 3Rs Ethical and welfare issues surrounding any teaching activity involving animals must be considered. The principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, known as the 3Rs, should guide your activity planning: Replacement – where possible animals should be replaced by, for example, models, software, or videosReduction – use no more than the minimum number of animals necessary - reducing the number of animals, however, should not be at the expense of greater suffering of individual animalsRefinement – activities must be streamlined to minimise handling, discomfort, distress or pain in animalsYou will need to demonstrate that the 3Rs have been considered in your activity application. 0Step 1: Consider the Curriculum and the 3Rs Ethical and welfare issues surrounding any teaching activity involving animals must be considered. The principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, known as the 3Rs, should guide your activity planning: Replacement – where possible animals should be replaced by, for example, models, software, or videosReduction – use no more than the minimum number of animals necessary - reducing the number of animals, however, should not be at the expense of greater suffering of individual animalsRefinement – activities must be streamlined to minimise handling, discomfort, distress or pain in animalsYou will need to demonstrate that the 3Rs have been considered in your activity application. left187325Step 2: Establish the aim and structure of program School chicken programs usually take three forms:Raising healthy chickens programs (full life cycle): The school starts with baby chicks/eggs and rears them to adulthood and beyond. Hatching programs (partial life cycle): The school incubates eggs and hatches the baby chicks, and then returns them to the provider and/or finds homes for them. Agricultural breeding program: The school is participating in an agricultural program where they breed chickens.Schools must establish the educational aim of the program and structure their program to meet this aim. An activity application (see step 4) must clearly identify the educational aim of the program, how it links to the curriculum and what the activity will involve.Chicken hatching programs only explore a small part of a chicken’s lifecycle, usually the egg incubation and the hatching period. A chicken’s lifecycle is greater than these two periods. With the educational aim in mind, schools need to decide whether they will start with:baby chickenseggs adult chickens 0Step 2: Establish the aim and structure of program School chicken programs usually take three forms:Raising healthy chickens programs (full life cycle): The school starts with baby chicks/eggs and rears them to adulthood and beyond. Hatching programs (partial life cycle): The school incubates eggs and hatches the baby chicks, and then returns them to the provider and/or finds homes for them. Agricultural breeding program: The school is participating in an agricultural program where they breed chickens.Schools must establish the educational aim of the program and structure their program to meet this aim. An activity application (see step 4) must clearly identify the educational aim of the program, how it links to the curriculum and what the activity will involve.Chicken hatching programs only explore a small part of a chicken’s lifecycle, usually the egg incubation and the hatching period. A chicken’s lifecycle is greater than these two periods. With the educational aim in mind, schools need to decide whether they will start with:baby chickenseggs adult chickens right3942079Step 4: Apply to VSAEC for approval Government schools:Principal logs into the Approval and Reporting System The principal approves individual teachers as users as per the User GuideLog into systemClick on My School’s Activity Request > Download activity request form > Fill out formPlease note: Significant detail should be recorded in the activity request in order to maximise chance of activity approval. The rehoming process must be clearly outlined, and evidence of steps taken to comply with relevant legislation (See Step 6) should be emphasised. Click on Submit new activity request > Search school name > Browse > Find file> Submit Send a copy of the form to animalethics@edumail..au Wait for approval from VSAEC Independent and Catholic Schools:Check if your school has a Scientific Procedures Premises Licence (ask your principal or email animalethics@edumail..au)Email animalethics@edumail..au and request access to the Approval and Reporting System (if you do not have access already).Follow steps 3-7 as above0Step 4: Apply to VSAEC for approval Government schools:Principal logs into the Approval and Reporting System The principal approves individual teachers as users as per the User GuideLog into systemClick on My School’s Activity Request > Download activity request form > Fill out formPlease note: Significant detail should be recorded in the activity request in order to maximise chance of activity approval. The rehoming process must be clearly outlined, and evidence of steps taken to comply with relevant legislation (See Step 6) should be emphasised. Click on Submit new activity request > Search school name > Browse > Find file> Submit Send a copy of the form to animalethics@edumail..au Wait for approval from VSAEC Independent and Catholic Schools:Check if your school has a Scientific Procedures Premises Licence (ask your principal or email animalethics@edumail..au)Email animalethics@edumail..au and request access to the Approval and Reporting System (if you do not have access already).Follow steps 3-7 as aboveright329Step 3: Planning for the ongoing welfare of the chickens Schools must rehome/house the chickens in accordance with: Australian Code Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes 8th edition (2013) Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1986)Code of Practice for the Housing of Caged Birds Local council regulationsSchools must decide on what will be done with the chickens after the teaching activity is complete. There are three main options:Keep chickens at the school as petsRehome chickens within the school communityReturn the chickens to the providerConsiderationsProvisions of appropriate shelter, caging and ongoing careStudents observe the full life cycle of a chickenHens may lay eggsSome of the chickens may turn out to be roosters and cause noise issues with local community Ensuring prospective families can provide appropriate shelter, caging and ongoing carea written commitment from a parent or guardian for the provision of adequate, ongoing and responsible care of the animal is required. They must demonstrate an awareness of relevant legislative requirements regarding the animal being rehomed. Ensuring that the chicken provider is reputable and is rehoming chickens in line with relevant legislation0Step 3: Planning for the ongoing welfare of the chickens Schools must rehome/house the chickens in accordance with: Australian Code Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes 8th edition (2013) Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1986)Code of Practice for the Housing of Caged Birds Local council regulationsSchools must decide on what will be done with the chickens after the teaching activity is complete. There are three main options:Keep chickens at the school as petsRehome chickens within the school communityReturn the chickens to the providerConsiderationsProvisions of appropriate shelter, caging and ongoing careStudents observe the full life cycle of a chickenHens may lay eggsSome of the chickens may turn out to be roosters and cause noise issues with local community Ensuring prospective families can provide appropriate shelter, caging and ongoing carea written commitment from a parent or guardian for the provision of adequate, ongoing and responsible care of the animal is required. They must demonstrate an awareness of relevant legislative requirements regarding the animal being rehomed. Ensuring that the chicken provider is reputable and is rehoming chickens in line with relevant legislation-590554782185Step 3: Source a reputable provider Considerations: Credibility of providerEvidence of how baby chicks are rehomed if returnedInformation provided/help offered/equipment supplied/training offered0Step 3: Source a reputable provider Considerations: Credibility of providerEvidence of how baby chicks are rehomed if returnedInformation provided/help offered/equipment supplied/training offered381002065655Step 6: Conclude the activity Schools should conclude their activities as outlined in their activity application. Concluding the activity may involve rehoming chickens. The guidelines discussed above in Step 3 must be adhered to comply with VSAEC and the Code. 00Step 6: Conclude the activity Schools should conclude their activities as outlined in their activity application. Concluding the activity may involve rehoming chickens. The guidelines discussed above in Step 3 must be adhered to comply with VSAEC and the Code. 571500Step 5: Conduct the activity Whilst conducting the activity you should:Ensure the chickens are fed and watered dailyEnsure the chicken pen/enclosure is cleaned dailyCheck for any signs of illness, injury Ensure correct handling of the chickens. Prep and Grade 1 students are not to handle chickens. If there were any adverse events such as illness, injury or death, then a report needs to be made to VSAEC within two weeks of the incident occurring via the Approval and Reporting System > My School’s Adverse Event. 00Step 5: Conduct the activity Whilst conducting the activity you should:Ensure the chickens are fed and watered dailyEnsure the chicken pen/enclosure is cleaned dailyCheck for any signs of illness, injury Ensure correct handling of the chickens. Prep and Grade 1 students are not to handle chickens. If there were any adverse events such as illness, injury or death, then a report needs to be made to VSAEC within two weeks of the incident occurring via the Approval and Reporting System > My School’s Adverse Event. Alternatives to Chicken Hatching ProgramsOther Alternatives Plants, stick insects and zebra fish also provide an excellent living resource to enable observation of growth, change, lifecycles, needs of living things and other outcomes teachers hope to achieve when they use a chicken hatching anise for a mobile animal farm with chickens of different ages to visit your school to explore the lifecycle of a chicken as part of an explicit teaching activity. Consider a raising healthy chickens program where chickens are permanently homed on school grounds in a safe a secure environment. This could be part of an educational program, or they could be school pets. ?Online VideosChicken hatching videos available on YouTube: AidsChicken life cycle exploration set of eggs kit is also an iPad application called iHatch-Chickens (?2012 iHatch-Apps) which can be used to see the development of a chick inside an egg and to the point of hatching. There are posters and models available from scientific resource suppliers. The Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre has developed a kit that is designed to teach students about the keeping of poultry and this includes detail on the lifecycle of a chicken and the needs of chicks and chickens. Lesson Plans RSPCA - Beaks, Wings and FeetUnited Poultry Concerns – Hatching Good Lessons ................
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