Several of the house-school families in our Co-op have chickens and supply us with eggs regularly. Poultry makes a great family project. Building a chicken coop involves math in its design. I bet your family has a strict budget for the co-op materials. Have the kids cost out the project and adjust the plans to provide enough room for the chickens, turkeys, quail, or ducks according to your budget. Help your kids cost out the price to sell a dozen eggs. How much does a dozen eggs cost in the store? How much are the feed and supplements? How many dozens a day do the chickens produce? Are you making any money? Below are a few ideas to include in your family’s project.
1. Begin with this Poultry-Texas 4-H webpage, especially the Guide. It includes basic information. Tractor Supply has this website, How to Raise Chickens. It’s really good! After all, Tractor Supply can provide the co-op, feed, feeders, etc. Utah Co-op has Basics for Raising Backyard Chickens.
2. Poultry Genetics is for older kiddos. Some teens are highly interested in raising chicks and breeding traits.
3. Washington State has this slide deck, which includes anatomy, breeds, and common pathogens.
4. Embryology in the Classroom is all about incubating eggs. See if the local extension office can lend you an incubator to try. Homesteading has a recent review of incubators.
5. One last activity is the Chicken Wing Dissection.
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