It's the Lab chickens' first snow with us! For three of the chickens, it's their first snow ever. Check out the video below to see (and hear) what they thought about it.
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The hens are enjoying their first winter together at the Kiddie Science Lab. Check out what they were recently up to on a very cold day. Do you have a question about our chickens? Send them to us at KiddieScience@gmail.com We'll do our best to make a video to answer your question!
Egg shell color is determined by chicken genetics. All other parts of the egg are exactly the same, with the exception of the shell pigment. Dependent on the chicken breed (or cross breed), eggs can range in color from white, to green, to dark brown, pink, blue, and every color in between (although grey and lavender are pretty rare). The Kiddie Science Lab flock has two Americauna hens, which look very different from each other. Americauna chickens are originally from Chile and have been bred to maintain the blue eggshell pigment while losing certain genetic traits that made them susceptible to illness. Over time, Americauna chickens have developed a variety of colors and patterns, with some having face "beards" of extra feathers much like our Rosemary. Although the two chickens below look very different, they are the exact same breed.
When expanding the Lab flock, we took great care in choosing hens that were winter hardy and could tolerate New York City summers. In addition to their gorgeous blue eggs, Americauna hens are docile and can easily tolerate northeastern weather. As part of our flock, they help create a rainbow of eggs that engage us in scientific and societal discussions. A few things to know: Roosters (male chickens) are illegal in the five boroughs, so all our chickens are hens (female chickens). Even without a male, once mature, all female chickens lay one egg roughly every twenty-five hours. These are the eggs we buy at the store and consume. All our hens are at or near maturity, so they lay an egg just about every day. The egg is created the same way and contains all the same parts. The only difference is the eggshell pigment, which is determined by the chickens' genetics.
Blanche, who our young scientists have nicknamed Sandy, loves grapes! Though if you made her choose between that and mealworms, she would always choose mealworms. She spends most of her day preening herself, taking dust baths, and jumping on things. Red Star hens are known for wanting to climb and explore and this is clear during Blanche's free-range time in the backyard. Although the chickens already have a large enclosure area, they free-range for a part of each day and enjoy enrichment activities such as digging up the garden beds, tapping on the Lab windows and doors, and sitting on top of the few remaining living plants. Thank you for voting to name our flock! Your voice was heard and our hens now have names! Check out the video below for the big announcement.
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