Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center is excited to welcome chickens back to the Farm! Five chickens arrived from Orange, Massachusetts – a gift from the daughter of one of the field teachers. Settling into the new hen house are three Golden Comets and two New Hampshire Reds, all about one year old and in prime laying condition.
“I am excited to reintegrate farm animals into our programming,” says Sarah Dunham-Miliotis, Program Director at Prescott Farm. “Not only will we be able to use the eggs for some of our upcoming camps and other programs, chickens provide other benefits to a Farm, such as fertilizing the ground and insect suppression, including ticks.”
The flock will be the basis for a new volunteer service learning opportunity and public program, Keeping Chickens, taking place on Saturday, June 30, from 10am – noon. Using the small flock as a model Prescott Farm’s environmental educators will teach you about chicken housing, food and water requirements, egg collection and more. You will be ready to start your own backyard flock, or become a Prescott Farm volunteer to help take care of theirs. For more information and to register visit prescottfarm.org.
The chickens will also provide learning opportunities for Prescott Farm’s Fledglings Nature-Based Preschool and WildQuest campers, aged 4-14, at Prescott Farm’s WildQuest Camps year-round. The eggs will be used in various public programs, including the upcoming Farmhouse Kitchen series, and cooking projects with campers. Volunteers are needed to help care for the chickens year-round, and WildQuest campers and Fledglings preschoolers will also be assisting.