With a massive heatwave affecting millions this weekend, we hope you're staying cool and hydrated! One question we've been getting is 'how do the chickens keep cool in extreme heat?'. Great question! This is something we wondered as well before committing to the care of the hens we have now. Although perfectly adapted for extreme northeastern winters, very hot summer days are not what these chickens are made for.

As of 8am today, the temperature was 88 degrees F, with a feel of temperature of 100. It will get hotter as the day, and the weekend, goes on. Despite it being very hot, the hens were hanging out together inside the coop this morning, looking quite unbothered by the heat and humidity. Their human caretaker, on the other hand, was very much bothered.

Our hens have two water sources, one of which holds a gallon of water, which get refreshed daily. To both I added large amounts of ice to maintain a cool water temperature throughout the day. Over half the backyard are is shaded and the chickens have a favorite tree to hang out under, where it's even shadier. To disperse body heat, chickens dig deep holes in the ground then lay in them, the fresh soil below being much cooler. In the summer, the coop is in a fully shaded area, making it surprisingly cool inside, especially overnight (and probably why the gals were hanging in this morning). As a special treat, we freeze fruits in a block of ice and let the chickens peck at it while cooling off. For this morning's treat, we froze watermelon, strawberries, and tomatoes. 

Refresh your home library with new-to-you books while supporting Kiddie Science and RAICES. We have board books, early readers, chapter books, and more! 

Saturday, August 17th   11am to 2pm
509 Rogers Avenue (door on the right)

$5 suggested donation per family. Proceeds from this event will be split equally between Kiddie Science and RAICES.


INTERESTED IN DONATING BOOKS? PLEASE READ BELOW:
We accept books in new and like-new condition, free of tears, stains, and rips. Book donations can be brought to the Kiddie Science Lab on Friday, August 16th, from 5pm to 7pm. If you are registered for Kiddie Science programs, you may bring your book donation with you at the time of your workshop.

It's the moment our young scientists have been waiting for! Our first Black Swallowtail butterfly has emerged! Found throughout most of eastern North America, and highly attracted to the Lab garden, Papilio polyxenes (Black Swallowtail) is the state butterfly of Oklahoma and New Jersey. It's been about two weeks since we noticed the first chrysalis in the front garden planter, and this morning we were pleasantly surprised to find that the first butterfly had emerged.

The Lab garden is thriving! In addition to the plants, we have Black Swallowtail caterpillars making their home in our dill and parsley. Last year, we observed that our garden attracted a lot of butterflies, which resulted in a handful of caterpillars on our plants. This year, we used that knowledge to help our young scientists plan what and how much to plant in our garden. One concern was how much the caterpillars ate. Last summer, our parsley was decimated. This planting season, our young scientists decided to plant the dill and parsley close together in pairs. This attracted lots of butterflies, very quickly.

As of today, June 25th, our young scientists have counted 19 Black Swallowtail caterpillars in different stages of development living in our front garden. They are part of our local ecology and out young scientists have been delighted to observe them. Some of the caterpillars are fully grown and are nearing the pupa stage. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for caterpillar updates via pictures and video.

Caterpillar Facts
​There are about 180,000 different types of caterpillars.
The life cycle of a butterfly has 4 steps: eggs, caterpillar (larva), pupa, adult (butterfly).
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Most female butterflies lay their eggs on the kinds of plants their caterpillars will want to eat – this helps make sure the young are able to start eating right after they hatch.

Some Swallowtail caterpillars make tents out of leaves for shelter.
Caterpillars have three pairs of true legs, up to four pairs of prolegs in the middle off their bodies, and often one pair of prolegs at the end of the body.

Caterpillars breathe through a series of small openings along the sides of their thorax and abdomen called spiracles.

Bringing science to the community is one of our favorite things! Thank you for joining us during the Maple Street block party as we explored giant bubbles then enjoyed a soda rocket demonstration.