Chickens In Schools

In the years leading up to and during World War II, raising chickens in every yard used to be considered a patriotic duty of every American so that the resources going to packaging foods can be used to defend the country. Backyard chickens faded out of the picture in many of the suburbs not too many years later.

These days, chickens are making a comeback in neighborhoods and schools. This return to teaching farming and gardening is something that is spreading throughout the US and other parts of the world. Chicks are hatched in third grade classrooms, and added to a school flock in the 4H or Future Farmers of America programs where ages up through junior high cares for them.

The kids learn what the process is and are able to see the important steps in the life cycle of a chicken. There is an increasing number of public and private schools that are including poultry in their gardening curriculum. As more and more urban schools are implementing teaching about gardening, composting and raising poultry, the students are finding a way to get back to nature, or at least learning about it.

Get your school involved here are a few resources to get you started:

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