One of the highlights of having the Lab space has been the chickens. It wasn't that long ago that we reached out to our local community (and beyond) for support in implementing The Chicken Project. Our goal was simple: expose young children to the care and keeping of chickens and give them time and access to observe their behaviors and characteristics first-hand. You answered our call for support and the results have been far beyond what we could have expected!

First and foremost, everyone loves the chickens! Children and adults of all ages have been smitten by Sweet and Sour and have learned a lot in the process. As we learn about the classification of living things, we've been able to spend extra time exploring birds, chickens in particular. We have learned about chicken diet and made salad mix using Lab garden ingredients, while making direct observations about bird characteristics. We're always impressed by their diverse sounds and behaviors!

Living in Brooklyn, our connection with nature and living things is oftentimes limited. This is why providing city kids with access to chickens is of particular importance. Although extremely friendly, our hens still require the humans around them to be gentle and cautious in their presence. This has provided opportunity for young scientists to explore how our bodies/actions may affect the living things around us. We have learned what it means to be gentle and careful with our bodies (and voices) as we spend time in the backyard with the chickens. 

Our young scientists greatly enjoy feeding treats to the chickens which, as omnivores, could be anything from watermelon to meal worms. We've learned about the needs of living things and chicken physiology. Once the chickens reached egg-laying age, we explored how exactly an egg is created and learned it's basic parts. This has opened up a whole new world of discovery and it's a particular treat when a late egg is laid and we're able to hold it while it's still warm.

You can never go wrong with exposing young children to the care and keeping of living things. At the Lab, we prefer to expose young children to nontraditional animals in the hopes of instilling a love and appreciation of all living things, not just the cute and cuddly ones. 

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 temp 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. 

Generally speaking, a hen reaches egg-laying age at roughly five months of age. The Lab hens, Sweet and Sour, both started laying in early to mid October. Since then, they've laid the average one egg every 25 hours. This laying schedule is based on the hen's reproductive system. Shortly after the eggs is laid, the hen's body starts to produce the next one. Once the yolk is released, it is about a 25 hour process to assemble the rest of the egg around it until it is ready to lay. 

In a typical week, Sweet and Sour begin by laying quite early in the morning. By the time they're being checked on, there's usually two eggs. By midweek, it becomes less likely that eggs will be found first thing in the morning. Instead, the hens start to lay later in the morning, sometimes as late as noon. Toward the weekend, it is expected that we'll find just one egg, as each hen skips one laying day. Typically, Sweet and Sour lay twelve eggs per week.

​Except for this week....

 On Thursday, two eggs were collected as expected. Friday morning, only one egg was expected. Imagine the surprise when at 8:30am three eggs are found (picture on the left)! It was a very exciting find. We meant to share this find immediately, but wanted to do some research first since it was so unexpected. No eggs were expected for Saturday morning, but again there were three!

Based on what we know, we hypothesize the following:
We think the picture on the left has two eggs laid by Sour. These eggs are usually more elongated and speckled. Sweet, on the other hand, tends to lay rounder, smaller eggs. This leads us to believe that the picture on the right has two eggs by Sweet and one by Sour.

According to our research, its possible for hens to lay more than one egg per cycle, but it doesn't happen often. When it does occur, its usually in mature hens, during their first year of laying, and is not something that continues for an ongoing period of time.

Tomorrow is Sunday and no eggs are expected. Stay tuned....

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.