Hello Everyone!

I visited Mr. Brooks' 3rd Grade class at Enfield this morning, and I've got to say- these kids know about trout! I bet they are going to challenge all of us with some pretty complicated research questions and observations.

As is happening in most of our classrooms at this point, some of the alevin at Enfield are "swimming up" and getting more active- a few have even escaped the hatch basket. As our alevin begin to use up their yolk sacks, each class is going to need to determine when to begin using the powdered trout food provided for the program. If we start feeding them too soon, it could adversely effect their natural development (making them less healthy); if we wait too long, some could become undernourished.

Depending on where you look, you can find advice for beginning the feeding process anywhere from 7 - 31 days after the eggs hatch. How old are your alevin? Many factors influence how soon an egg hatches, and how soon an alevin is ready to begin hunting for food. What factors can you think of? For a pretty complete description of the brown trout life cycle, check out http://eis.bris.ac.uk/~cckhrb/physiology/lc_brown.htm. This website from the United Kingdom has a lot of useful info, and links to photos from rivers around the world!

When you decide to start feeding your trout... keep us posted!
Bill