Science Fair Idea involving baby chickens

[poppy 20,381]

My daughter wants to participate in the science fair and wants to involve our chicks (which will be about a month old). I'm stumped, and am crowdsourcing ... Got any fun ideas?

[Ravin 29,644]

Depends on how long she has. Experiments about chick growth would be easy if you have several weeks: measure (weight probably easiest) each chick, randomly divide them into a control group and an experimental group, carry on as usual in chick care for the control group, but make some change of your daughter's choosing in how the experimental group is treated. Could be a change in food, playing music for them or talking to them, handling them extra, whatever. Make hypothesis about the expect of the experimental treatment. At the end of the study period, measure chicks again, and write conclusions based on what she finds.

[wathe 894]

I know in Canada science fair projects that involve animal research (vertebrates and cephalopods) require an ethics review with paperwork.  Maybe similar in the U.S.?

Edited March 26 by wathe
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[FarmingMomma 305]

13 hours ago, wathe said:

I know in Canada science fair projects that involve animal research (vertebrates and cephalopods) require an ethics review with paperwork.  Maybe similar in the U.S.?

 

Yes, the US has similar requirements.

[poppy 20,381]

Thanks all! She has settled on "will feeding a mealworm a day for 2 weeks help a chick grow bigger than one who doesn't get a mealworm a day?"  
I have told her to not feed the mealworm to that one chick in front of the others.   No stress.