It's been very exciting having the chickens at the Lab and interacting with them. We've learned a lot! One question we get very often is 'what happens with the chickens in the winter?' Excellent question!
Normally, when you think of where chickens live, you don't automatically picture them in a cold and snowy climate. Fact is, when it comes to chickens, you have over 500 pure breeds and an almost endless combination of mixed breeds. The type of chicken and its adaptations determine where it can live and thrive. The Kiddie Science Lab chickens, Sweet and Sour, are New England breeds, able to withstand cold, long winters. In addition to their adaptations, which we'll explore more in a bit, the hens have excellent accommodations. Shielded from the rain/snow and wind, the coop windows and doors can all be shut tight in bitterly cold nights. So far, on the coldest nights, we've closed all but one opening because it actually stays pretty warm in there.
 | One of the most popular breeds in the nation, Sweet is a Rhode Island Red hen. The official bird of Rhode Island, these hens are very social and cold hardy. Bigger in size than a lot of other breeds, the Rhode Island Red can grow to weigh up to 7-8 pounds. Sour, our other hen, is a New Hampshire Red, a species developed in the 1900's by farmers with the goal of developing a breed that was fast growing, early to lay eggs, and hardy in the bitterly cold winters of the northeast. Both hens have full and fluffy feather coats and heavyset bodies that insulate them from the cold. |
