Tag Archives: chickens

Who Came First: Gregory or the Eggs? A Chicken Update.

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By Lily McClaren

Now that we have 30 new hens’ eggs incubating in the science lab (ready to hatch around June 4), we thought it would be a good time to check in on our old friends, the 18 chickens born at BBES last May.

 I interviewed Ms. Jessica Mack and her daughter Kyra Tobia to find out how our chickens are doing! 

Ms. Mack said the family kept around half of the 18 BBES chickens, and gave the rest to some of their friends. The Tobias, who have a small farm in Colts Neck, also kept the names the students gave to the chickens and roosters, including Gregory, the biggest and the leader of the flock; Peanut Butter; Jelly; Oreo; and Chi Chi, the smallest rooster in the flock. The Tobias have a coop behind their house with about 25 chickens in total. The BBES chickens are now adults, and many of them have laid eggs.

This means that some of the 30 eggs incubating in the science lab could be the offspring of our BBES chickens,  Ms. Mack said.

Ms. Mack said the adult chickens are thriving in their coop, and they get along with all the other chickens her family has, but there is one rooster that wakes her up every morning at 4:30 AM. Some of the chickens are very friendly from being around all the BBES students for their first two weeks of life, but some hate to be touched. Kyra has a harness to walk the friendly chickens!

The chickens eat pellets with calcium and nutrients. Chickens need this type of feed because it takes a lot of nutrients to create eggs. They also get a snack of dried mealworms, which they really enjoy. There’s a lot of protein in them for health. Also, they get a natural dewormer containing cayenne pepper, chili powder, sage, and regular pepper. It’s an all-natural dewormer. Chickens can’t taste anything spicy. However, the spice inside them gets rid of the parasites. 

It sounds like our feathered friends from BBES have found the perfect “forever home!” From early morning wake-up calls to walks on a harness, these chickens are living their best lives. Even though they’ve moved on from our school, they are still healthy, happy, and growing strong. We are so glad to hear that Gregory and the rest of the flock are doing well, and we’ll be on the lookout for Gregory Junior in a few weeks. 

Photos courtesy of Ms. Mack

Baby Chicks Bring Joy to BBES

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By Nora Weber and Mrs. Sucato

 For 15 days this spring, Bradley Beach Elementary School was home to a flock of 18 chicks brought to the school by Ms. Jessica Mack, a special education teacher whose family owns a small farm in Colts Neck.

As part of an Environmental Club project run by science teacher, Mrs. Sauer, 30 eggs were placed in an incubator in the science room on May 8. The incubator was kept at about 100 degrees for 22 days. The first egg hatched on the early morning of May 28. Many of us saw the chick’s first moments on a live webcam that our I.T. coordinator, Mr. Monterrosa, put on YouTube.

After the chicks dried off, they were placed into a large brooder (tub) with cedar bedding and a heat lamp. They had bowls of fresh water and chicken food fortified with vitamins, Ms. Mack said. After two days, 18 chicks had hatched. There were five different breeds: Rhode Island Red, Bantam, Buff Orpington, Black Ancona, and mixed breeds.  Twelve eggs did not hatch. Mrs. Sauer and the Environmental Club examined the unhatched eggs but did not find signs of developed embryos.

Students were able to visit the chicks with their teachers, hold them, and give them names like Peanut, Butter, Jelly, Gregory, Shayla Ashley, Dill Pickle, Jamal, and Gotherinia. There was a play mat for them to use as they grew bigger and stronger and began to develop feathers.

“I was surprised to see how much the chicks contributed to our well-being and mental health,” Mrs. Sauer said. “They brought us calmness and peace just looking at them.”

On Thursday, June 12, we said goodbye to the chicks. They were so well socialized that they sat and napped on students’ laps. There were some tears at the end of the day when Ms. Mack took them home to her farm.

As of June 19, the chicks were still under the lamp in the brooder at Ms. Mack’s. Her daughters, Kyra and Kallie, were playing with them every day. In about three weeks, as soon as they get all their feathers, they will join Ms. Mack’s 14 bigger chickens in the coop. 

“You can tell they were socialized because they are so calm,” Ms. Mack said. “The girls even brought two into the living room.”

Our students (and staff) will always remember them fondly.

“We loved the chickens. They were so adorable,” said seventh-grader Stella Covert.

“This is one of the best things we have ever done, in my opinion,” said Molly Flynn, also in the seventh grade.

Stay tuned for more updates on the chickens as the weeks go by. We may even have an answer to the question: Is Gregory really a rooster? 

The chicks on May 30.