Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Category: Other
Hatching a plan: ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s chickens teach lessons on sustainable agriculture
By Livia Ungurean
Chickens first arrived to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ College’s central Pennsylvania campus in the spring of 2013. It was a way of broadening the scope of agriculture on the 375-acre campus. A favorite of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ College students, most people assume that the only benefit of chickens are fresh eggs, but these livestock serve a greater purpose on ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s campus.
ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ College has two breeds of chickens: Barred Rock and French Novagen. Three Barred Rock chickens live in the upper coop near Bittner Residence Hall, and 25 French Novagen chickens reside in the lower coop off of Grantham Road, across from the recreational sports fields. These chickens have become an important part of the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ College community.
Olivia Mingora, senior psychology major and garden coordinator states, “Students can learn how chickens play an integral part in sustainability. The chickens are an educational tool-used to educate people about where our food comes from and what it takes to get it.” Residents of the Restoration House, a special interest house that places a strong emphasis on learning and understand the environment in which we live, care for the chickens.
Why chickens, you ask? Chickens are great help in the garden! They peck at grubs and keep the weeds and some insects at bay. This makes gardening a much smoother, healthier process. A chicken’s natural tendency is to dig with their feet. They mix the soil well and demolish weeds as they walk, and they fertilize the soil with their manure.
Chickens are naturally social animals. They love to be outside; and follow familiar faces around. ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s chickens are familiar with their caretakers and flock around them as they maintain the coop and collect eggs.
According to Lori Chance, coordinator of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s Sustainability Program, “the average chicken lays one egg every 30 hours.” The Office of Sustainability then sells the cartons of eggs to students and the surrounding community outside of their office for $3.50 per dozen.
FUN FACT: “The color of an egg can be determined by the color of the chicken’s ears which may not be the same as the color of their feathers!”
ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s chickens help students learn and understand concepts of sustainable agriculture. Between students, faculty and the community these chickens offer much more than eggs. They help keep the garden healthy, provide an educational resource and even support spiritual and mental benefits of sustainable farming.
To get involved with the Grantham Garden, join garden day on March 31, April 7 or April 28 from 4-5:30 p.m. Garden day includes preparing soil and gardens for planting season. For more information please contact communitygarden@messiah.edu