Chicken project continues despite lockdown
Moses Lake High School animal science instructor Jessica Homesley fills the feeder and attracts the entire flock of chickens. The birds are part of a long-term project that is proceeding more or less on schedule, despite schools being shut down to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Moses Lake High School animal sciences instructor Jessica Homesley fills the feeder, attracting the entire flock. The chickens are part of a long-term project proceeding pretty much as planned, even after school was closed as part of the effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
The Moses Lake High School animal science class project involving raising chickens is still on track, despite the closing of school as part of the effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Moses Lake High School animal science instructor Jessica Homesley feeds the school’s chickens a treat. The chickens are part of a long-term project that still on track despite the school closure as part of the effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Chickens flock to the corner of the pen, part of a long-term animal science project at Moses Lake High School.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Back in early March, students in the animal science classes at Moses Lake High School were working on a long-term project that started with raising baby chicks in the classroom.
The ag department had a chicken coop, already occupied by chickens raised by a previous class. The plan was to sell the mature hens and replace them with the chicks raised by the current animal science class. Instructor Jessica Homesley said the goal was to build a self-sustaining operation.
That was the plan. Students would help care for the chickens when school was not in session. Students prepared the advertising for the chicken sale and helped keep track of expenses. Lessons in marketing and business were mixed in with animal science. At least that was the plan.
“Then all this happened,” Homesley said.
The state closed schools in mid-March, part of the effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Classes that were working on long-term plans had to adjust. But there’s a lesson in that too.
“In our ag program, you’ve got to be flexible,” Homesley said.
The class was a beneficiary of good timing. Students had just finished selling all the mature hens, which meant nobody had to go to school every day and gather eggs. Otherwise Homesley would’ve been gathering the eggs, since the lockdown rules don’t allow students on campus.
The mature hens sold quite easily, Homesley said. “I didn’t have enough for the demand.”
The empty coop was filled by the chickens raised by the animal science class.
“We have 153 (birds), I think,” Homesley said, along with 50 that hatched after school closed. “Those had hatched from our own chickens and the kids never got to see them, and that makes me sad,” Homesley said.
For the rest of the school year at least Homesley is in charge of maintaining the project.
“I come out every day and take care of them. At least once a day. And sometimes twice.”
Students have volunteered to help, and Homesley said she’s hopeful kids will be allowed back on campus over the summer.
“I think they’re missing it as much as I’m missing them. And their help,” she said.
Even with the unexpected detour the project is still on track, Homesley said. The current flock of hens will be sold when they mature, to be replaced with chickens raised by students in the 2020-21 animal science class.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
