Generally speaking, a hen reaches egg-laying age at roughly five months of age. The Lab hens, Sweet and Sour, both started laying in early to mid October. Since then, they've laid the average one egg every 25 hours. This laying schedule is based on the hen's reproductive system. Shortly after the eggs is laid, the hen's body starts to produce the next one. Once the yolk is released, it is about a 25 hour process to assemble the rest of the egg around it until it is ready to lay. 

In a typical week, Sweet and Sour begin by laying quite early in the morning. By the time they're being checked on, there's usually two eggs. By midweek, it becomes less likely that eggs will be found first thing in the morning. Instead, the hens start to lay later in the morning, sometimes as late as noon. Toward the weekend, it is expected that we'll find just one egg, as each hen skips one laying day. Typically, Sweet and Sour lay twelve eggs per week.

​Except for this week....

 On Thursday, two eggs were collected as expected. Friday morning, only one egg was expected. Imagine the surprise when at 8:30am three eggs are found (picture on the left)! It was a very exciting find. We meant to share this find immediately, but wanted to do some research first since it was so unexpected. No eggs were expected for Saturday morning, but again there were three!

Based on what we know, we hypothesize the following:
We think the picture on the left has two eggs laid by Sour. These eggs are usually more elongated and speckled. Sweet, on the other hand, tends to lay rounder, smaller eggs. This leads us to believe that the picture on the right has two eggs by Sweet and one by Sour.

According to our research, its possible for hens to lay more than one egg per cycle, but it doesn't happen often. When it does occur, its usually in mature hens, during their first year of laying, and is not something that continues for an ongoing period of time.

Tomorrow is Sunday and no eggs are expected. Stay tuned....

We're having another book sale at the Kiddie Science Lab! Join us on Saturday, January 19th from 2pm to 5pm for our $1 book sale! We'll have new and like-new selections including board books, early readers, language books, graphic novels, hardcovers, chapter books, and popular favorites such as Goosebumps, Ricki Ricotta, and much more!

All books are $1 each and proceeds benefit Kiddie Science programming.
​509 Rogers Avenue, door on the right. See you at the Lab!

What a year! Thank you for making it amazing!

Start the new year off with a squeaky clean stroller/car seat/jogger courtesy of Tot Squad! On  Sunday, January 27th, Tot Squad will be on-site from 10am to 2pm at the Kiddie Science Lab to provide a variety of cleaning services for your baby/toddler gear. For each item cleaned that day, Tot Squad will donate 10% to support Kiddie Science programming.

You must reserve your spot in advance! Your card is not charged until services are complete.

Here's how it works:
- Reserve your spot using this form. Choose the item(s) you wish to have cleaned and the type of cleaning you desire (package details below)
- In the location section, please put 'Kiddie Science Lab'
- The date is Sunday, January 27th and you can choose a preferred drop-off time between 10am and 1:30pm.
- Once you've reserved your spot, simply show up to the Lab at your chosen time on January 27th with your item(s) and a Tot Squad staff member will be there to assist you. The Kiddie Science Lab is located at 509 Rogers Avenue (door on the right)


PRICING DETAILS:
For strollers and double strollers (starting at $39.99)
Car seat cleaning starts at $29.99
Wheel detailing and mold treatment available. Tot Squad also cleans other baby gear.