Wigan care homes engage residents with egg hatching kits

Lakeside Care Home and Worthington Lake Care Home in Standish are working with Incredible Eggs to provide special experiences for their residents.

Incredible Eggs are an ethical provider of high welfare hatching kits, which strives to have a positive social and environmental impact.

The kits were delivered to the Millennium Care Group properties along with 14 chicken eggs.

Following a 10-day process of incubation, hatching and brooding, the company then collect their equipment and any birds that they would like to re-home.

Gail Howard, Home Manager at Lakeside Care Home, said: “It’s fabulous, the residents and staff have loved being a part of this process.

"They were all transfixed as soon as the eggs were delivered.

“This activity has been great to engage our residents and the prospect of keeping a few of the birds is brilliant.

"It will add to work we already do around pet therapy and, for those who want to, they can help care for them which will provide purpose and countless mental health benefits.”

Jodie Firth, who delivered the kit and eggs while providing a tutorial, said: “The purpose is to give this experience to people who want to experience it.

“When the birds hatch they are theirs to keep, but we do take them back as not everybody has the facilities to keep them and we wouldn’t want people to keep them if they haven’t!”