Chickens

Which Came First...?

Here at the farmSTED, the garden came about a year before the chickens. 😄 

The decision to add a chicken coop to our agriculture initiative stemmed from our commitment to interdisciplinary, hands-on education, and a commitment to sustainable practices. In terms of being a learning experience, the coop was completely built as a class project. Our IB Design Technology students drafted designs, made supply lists and built the whole coop themselves over the course of a semester (see the Summer 2022 issue of the Leaflet for more of the story). The first year, it was our Andre Scholars who went out to the coop every morning to gather eggs and feed the hens. And the Business and Entrepreneurship students got involved with the egg business, creating and running our in-house business, St Eggward.

The coop can hold a maximum of 24 hens, and we are almost full, with a beautiful variety of feathered friends like Plymouth Rock, Green Queen, Olive Egger, Chocolate Orrpington, Rhode Island Red, Wellsummer, and a Polish Lace. They have an automatic door that opens every day to let them out to their run where they get plenty of exercise and can scratch around for bugs. A dedicated team of students, the Chicken Tenders, still goes out every day to feed and water them and get eggs. Speaking of eggs... we sell them! Check out the Eggs tab to place an order (SEHS faculty, staff, students and families only).

Chicken Resources

Do you have a back yard flock or are interested in starting one? Here are some of our favorite resources.

Back Yard Chickens is a website full of articles and practical tips for keeping chickens. There is a robust forum where you can post questions and get input and advice from hundreds of other users. 

Meyer Hatchery, located about an hour away in Polk, Ohio, is where we source all of our chicks. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and they have a great variety of breeds. Also, their website is a treasure trove of information about all topics chicken-related.