Category: Chickens

Introducing....

4/8/2021

The recent unexpected passing of Sweet meant that Sour underwent a one week quarantine to be sure there wasn't a communicable illness responsible. It was a quiet and boring week, though we did our best to entertain Sour and provide her with daily company. At the same time, we were actively seeking out and vetting another local hen to keep her company.

After a successful quarantine period, a Black Australorp has joined us at the Kiddie Science Lab!

We're all still getting to know each other, and it's certainly been a new experience all around. The new hen is quite vocal! Check out the video below to meet her.

As with all the animals at the Lab, we need your help naming her! We surveyed some of our young scientists for suggestions and now it's your turn to decide!! VOTE HERE until May 10th then stay tuned for the big announcement!

She Really Was Sweet

3/28/2021

Unfortunately, this is not a post with good news, but one which hopes to capture the sheer joy that it has been to be Sweet's caretaker. I'm saddened to share that on Tuesday, March 23rd, the Lab hen, Sweet, passed away. She spent the majority of her final hours with me at my home, swaddled like a baby, as comfortable as can be given the circumstances. I'm grateful for the support of Heart of Brooklyn Veterinary Hospital during her final moments with me.

Sweet was a Rhode Island Red Hen, who arrived to the Lab under my care during summer of 2018. She and her partner Sour, arrived as pullets (teenage chickens) and quickly transitioned to the VIP life in the Lab backyard. Sweet was always the more social chicken, curious about the young scientists, and quickly learning that pets equals treats.

With our physical doors closed, the chicken care this last year has included creative ways to keep them entertained, like letting them explore the Lab and seeing what a bathroom looks like.

Sweet was....sweet. She was a surprisingly lovable and interactive chicken, who much too often climbed onto the window ledge to see what was going on inside. She actually laid her very first egg there, then screeched the most horrible sound in order to get my attention. I often wonder if that's what dinosaurs sounded like. Ultimately I had to teach her where to lay, which was an unexpected but rather hysterical responsibility.

That pretty much sums up what my experience has been caring for Sweet, unexpected but rather hysterical. There was always something with that chicken!

I'm thankful for the support and advice I've gotten over the years with the hens. Throughout this entire adventure, I've had people I can count on to help ensure they receive the absolute best care possible. Everything I've learned about hens (and know about living things in general) came to a head that morning, and despite how much it hurt my heart, I will forever be grateful that I fulfilled my responsibility to Sweet to the very end.

~ Ms. Carmen

Chicken Food

3/7/2021

The Lab hens, Sweet and Sour, are omnivores. This means they eat fruits, vegetables, and meat (in the form of insects mostly). In addition to this, they get dry chicken feed and scratch, which includes seeds, nuts, crushed oyster shells, and pellet feed. It's a little bit of everything! Check out some of what they eat below. Favorite foods include watermelon, red leaf lettuce, berries, and mealworms.

If you were a chicken, what would you eat?

Snow Day Chickens

2/28/2021

The Lab hens, Sweet and Sour, are almost three years old and in that time, they've never seen this much snow! Both hens are New England breeds, perfectly suited for cold temperatures. In addition to being bigger in size than Bantam, for example, their layered feathers provide excellent insulation against the cold.

Although they free-range in the Lab backyard, the hens have a coop and a covered run. In preparation for the snowstorm, the run was shielded from the wind and drifting snow, and extra straw was added to the coop for insulation. A small tarp was placed over the roof to create an awning at the entrance of the run. Prior to the hens moving in, their coop was modified and lifted off the ground using wood. This provides enough of a buffer to prevent accumulating snow from entering the run.

Despite all this, the hens greatly dislike the snow. They refuse to walk in it, or even look at it. Even though a path was cleared for them, the hens refused to leave the coop and the run until the majority of the snow melted.

CHECK OUT THE CHICKENS

12/7/2020

Check out how we meet the needs of the Kiddie Science Lab chickens.

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Introducing....

She Really Was Sweet

Chicken Food

Snow Day Chickens

CHECK OUT THE CHICKENS

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