Ten adult hens and roosters made a trip from Linda Reilly’s Clear Creek farm in Lyndon Township to North Creek Elementary School Tuesday afternoon and about 125 first graders had a chance to see them, pet them, and ask questions about them in the gym.
As part of a cycle of life lesson for the students, Reilly first brought eggs to the school last month and the children were able to see more than 20 chicks hatch and grow in two first-grade classrooms.
On May 21, the students were able to see what the chicks they’d given names like Coco Puff, Ziegfried, Yellowy, Fluffy Chick, Sonic and Fluffels, would grow up to look like.
One classroom had nine chicks hatch and live while another had 13 hatch and thrive.
The students asked questions like how long the hens and roosters will live.
Reilly said about 8-10 years.
She said she has 35 egg layers, 25 Polish and two roosters back on the farm.
The children also wanted to know about how much the grown chickens weighed.
Reilly said some hens weigh about 4-5 pounds but the roosters weigh a few pounds more, depending on the breed.
The students wanted to know how many eggs the hens lay each day and Reilly said they lay one about every other day.
The students also wanted to know what the chickens eat and she told them the hens eat layer mash.
“I got these birds from breeders,” she said of the several varieties of small Polish breeds and the larger Speckled Sussex, Black Barnevelder and Americana birds she brought to show the children.
This is the third year in a row that Reilly has brought eggs and full grown birds to the school.
