Hatching Program for Teachers: Funding & Vendor Info
Everything Your School Needs to Book Hatch a Lovely Chick™
Hatch a Lovely Chick™ is a fully managed 28-day hatching experience from The Lovely Hen, our farm in Southampton, New Jersey. We deliver and set up the incubator, brooder, and 12 fertilized eggs right in your classroom, guide you step-by-step through the full 28 days — candling, hatch day, and a whole week with the chicks after they hatch — then return on Day 28 for pickup. One price covers everything: $479, all-in, including delivery, setup, and pickup within 60 miles of Southampton, NJ.
This page is for teachers, administrators, and front offices: how schools pay for the program, and the vendor paperwork your business office needs from us.
Ways Schools Pay
- Purchase orders — the most common route, and welcome here. Your district issues a PO, we deliver and set up, and we invoice against the PO. No credit card, and no teacher paying out of pocket — multiple schools paid for this program by purchase order last year.
- NJSTART registered vendor — The Lovely Hen is registered in NJSTART, the State of New Jersey's purchasing portal, as lovely hen llc, Vendor ID V00107842. If your district buys through NJSTART, we are already set up.
- NJEA PEP grants — Public Education Partnership grants through the New Jersey Education Association can fund programs like this. Teachers: your local association's PEP/PRIDE chair submits the request through NJEA — ask us for our program summary and a quote to include with it, and we'll supply the paperwork you need.
- PTA/PTO and building funds — many schools fund one setup per grade level this way. Booking several classrooms? Book 3+ setups and save $50 per setup.
What Your Front Office Needs From Us
Our vendor packet is simple: a Substitute W-9 and our New Jersey Business Registration Certificate. Email yes@thelovelyhen.com or call (717) 559-5705, and we'll send the packet the same day.
- Vendor: lovely hen llc (The Lovely Hen)
- NJSTART Vendor ID: V00107842
- Payment: purchase order / invoice accepted
- Contact for purchasing: yes@thelovelyhen.com · (717) 559-5705
How Booking Works
- Pick your hatch window. Choose the start date that fits your school calendar — spring dates fill fast, and booking is first come, first served.
- We deliver and set up. Incubator, brooder, feed, bedding, and 12 fertilized eggs — set up in your classroom by us, with a quick walkthrough of the simple daily routine (about 5–10 minutes a day).
- 28 days, guided. Our Classroom Hatching Guide is written for teachers, and around Day 8 we guide you through candling, so your students can see the embryos developing inside the eggs.
- Hatch day. Around Day 21, the chicks hatch right in front of your class — and we're on call through hatch week for every question.
- The observation week. Unlike most programs, ours don't end at hatch: the chicks stay for a full extra week (Days 21–28) so your students can watch them fluff up, explore, and grow — and say a real goodbye.
- Day 28 pickup. We return, collect the equipment, and handle cleanup of the setup. The chicks come home to our farm permanently, where they live out their lives free-ranging.
Questions about funding or paperwork? Email yes@thelovelyhen.com or call (717) 559-5705 — we reply personally.