The Pheasants in the Classroom Program hosted by the Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation is wrapping up, and a local school is saying goodbye to their recently hatched chickens, too. 

The Grade 2 and 3 classes at Westmount Elementary School spent the last month as caretakers to 24 eggs that recently hatched into chicks. 

Their teacher, Keith Silversides, has housed both chickens and pheasants for many years and noted that there are benefits to both. 

"With the pheasants, because they're wild birds and they're returned to the wild they don't like you to keep them very long in the classroom," explained Silversides. "I went back to chickens because I like to keep the chickens for three or four days so the kids can watch them grow and handle them. Then they end up going out to a farm."

After 21 days the kids were able to witness a live animal taking its first steps, which Silversides said is always the highlight for his class.

"We had some hatching [on Friday]. The kids could watch them because that is the most exciting part is watching them pick through their shells, get out and fluff up," said Silversides. "I've always got one or two kids with their face in the incubator checking to see what's happening. The first thing in the morning we could see about five or six eggs with chips in them - I call them pips. The poster is right above the incubator so they can anticipate what's going to happen next."

He noted that over the years he's had to go through a few different sources to acquire the eggs, but for this season he was able to pick up over 20 eggs from the University of Saskatchewan's Poultry Department. 

At the start of the week Silversides said 21 out of his 24 eggs hatched and on Wednesday the chicks were sent off to a farm to live out their lives.