This weekend David and I drove down to Arkansas for a lovely weekend. On the road we passed a couple of factory farms for chickens. The smell was overwhelming, and I found myself commenting again on the power of urban chickens. Many parents have already been introduced to our new chickens at the ECC. They are a wide range of breeds, and we selected these particular chickens primarily because they were gentle and interesting for the children. But they also produce eggs, and that is a big part of this project. Eggs are wonderfully full of good things for you—and our children will be learning how to feed chickens, care for them, and gather eggs. In addition, they will be learning how to cook with eggs. My goal is that every first grader leaves ECC knowing how to scramble a fresh egg with herbs from the garden.

Chickens are great city dwellers and are perfect with children. Children learn the importance of taking care of living things and also contribute to the family well being by providing something that is good for them and also very tasty. Chickens love to eat your table scraps, keep insects out of your garden, aerate the soil, and provide fabulous fertilizer for your fruits and vegetables—unlike cats and dogs. The average chicken produces around 300 eggs a year, so two or three chickens can take care of a whole family’s egg needs. And if you have not tasted the difference between a factory egg and a yard egg, you will be stunned at the flavor that comes from an egg produced right at home.

At ECC we are starting the MRH Chicken Project, and our goal is to support fifty families in the district in keeping their own chickens. Keep an eye on our website for information about our urban chicken classes. And if you decide to get chickens, make sure you let Debi Gibson know at ECC—she will post your picture on our board as we keep track of our project’s growth. If you want to know if it’s worth it—check out YouTube’s many videos to get a sense of what the factory farm is really like. You will think twice before you pick up another carton of eggs that are not identified as free range and locally grown.

Sincerely,

Linda Henke
Superintendent