A PRIMARY School project allowing pupils to witness ducklings hatch from their eggs has courted controversy among parents and animal activists.

Haydonleigh Primary School is raising a batch of ducklings on site in order to educate foundation stage pupils at the school.

A farmer travelled from Cornwall to deliver the duck eggs to the school on Monday of last week, and since then videos of the hatchlings have been shared on the school's Facebook page.

But the posts have attracted a mixed response from Facebook users.

Sarah Williams reacted to the arrival of the eggs by commenting on Haydonleigh Primary's post: "I'm excited and my son's in year 3 and not foundation stage. He loved doing this at nursery. Would be lovely to see regular updates."

Gemma Compton agreed: "Oh my gosh are they ducks? Why didn't they do this last year? Ducks are my absolute favourite."

But among those against the idea of the duck nursery was Tash Carroll, who commented: "What a shame that the school is showing the children how to exploit animals!"

Marie Simms posted: "Why do schools feel the need to keep doing this? The babies belong with their mummies, not for lots of loud kids to gawp at them. Those babies must be so scared. Sure let's show our kids how to remove a baby from its mother and keep it in captivity. Not the true cycle of nature is it. So wrong!"

Lauren Reynolds also posted a comment. She said: "With respect, this teaches kids all the wrong lessons about the life cycle of a duckling. A barren tank with a thermometer and no enrichment is no substitute for the nurturing a duckling would get from its mother. This makes me (and my kids) very sad."

Charlotte Cobb said: "All these parents with their knickers in a twist. Educate yourself on the life cycle of a mainstream egg layer, that's where your tears and anger is needed. Not in a classroom teaching children about the beauty of life for a few weeks, until the chicks return home to the farm. Probably to be eaten anyway. Many children will never see or have this type of animal interaction. It's not cruel, the birds will be well cared for."

Sarah Hayes also stepped in to defend the school: "I've never had any concerns over Haydonleigh's compassion, capability, or intelligence through two children's whole primary school education."

Emma Ferguson said: "The children love it and I don’t think it’s any different to any farm I have been to where children look around. The mother may have died, or left the nest!! They are looked after! That’s what matters!"

The Adver approached Haydonleigh Primary but the school declined to comment. But to quell commenters' concerns about the safety of the ducks, the school posted on its Facebook page: "The company supplying the eggs state that the welfare of the birds is of paramount importance to them and they take their responsibilities seriously.

"They are an established, reputable small-scale poultry breeders in their own right and are passionate about what they do, with standards that are extremely high.

"Birds returning from settings which have chosen not to keep them are grown on in spacious, warm, carefully maintained accommodation. This is kept clean and well-ventilated. They are ready to go outside at about eight weeks of age.

"They are advocates of low intensity traditional smallholder farming methods - as close as possible to what nature intended.

"The hatching eggs are eggs that would otherwise have been hatched by the breeders. This means ducklings are not being created purely for school projects and then left facing an uncertain future or destined for use in factory-farmed commercial egg production."