AHS teachers Sarah Benson and Brent Maiolo, have newly adopted baby chicks to the science room for the sole purpose of farming. Benson and Maiolo lost their chickens due to a local bear attack in the fall, leading to a lack of eggs for their morning omelets.

The chicks were purchased at two weeks old from the co-op in Glenwood. The local co-op offers many typical Colorado lifestyle necessities such as, a wide assortment of apparel, gear and expertise for camping, cycling, running, fitness, hiking, snow sports, climbing and more. Benson and Maiolo will split the round of chicks once they are raised at school, then transport them to their own coops.

“They’re all females so that they will lay eggs, but we keep them at school because they are so small and we need to keep an eye on them. Since we’re teachers we spend more time here than at home,” Benson said.

Chickens grow at a rapid rate from the stages of adolescence to adulthood. So, these chickens won’t be cooped up in the classroom for long. After the chickens outgrow the classroom coop, Benson and Maiolo plan to put the chickens in the school courtyard. The goal is to get them adapted to the outdoor environment since they are free range. As a reference point, the chicken meat purchased from the grocery store is around 21 days old when slaughtered, according to The Human League.
having baby chicks in a classroom full of students can be easily distracting. Although, no one seems to have an issue with the background noise of chirps.

“They are kind of like therapy chickens now. I will say the kids love coming in and petting them, hanging out with them, talking to them. They are therapy chickens now until they start to lay eggs,” Benson said.
Stop by the science room to see them for yourself.