This school year, zoology students will be raising and butchering a group of Broiler chickens. The newborn chickens are arriving at the highscool in less than a week! September 29 is the date of arrival. This is exciting for the students in zoology because they will be spending a lot of time taking care of chickens instead of doing work in the classroom. This will give them a very hands-on learning experience.
The teachers plan on having the students feed, water, and give the chickens new bedding. The students must weigh the chickens weekly, along with weighing their food. The chicks health will be closely monitored by the students in the six weeks they are here. They will be kept in the green house in boxes for this time period. The students will be working with the chicks to learn about anatomy, animal care, farming, and more.
At the end of six weeks the students will fill out a report on how the raising went. They must include all of the details. The chicken feed consists of a few different foods. The students will be split into groups and each group will use a different food. This is so they can discover which food is the best for them and which one keeps their protein levels the highest. The chickens will grow from newborns to being 4-6 pounds in five weeks. This is full grown for the birds.
The type of chicken they will be raising is a Broiler chicken. Broiler chickens are strictly meat birds. This means that the students will not have to deal with them laying eggs. 95% of broiler chickens are produced on family farms. The students will learn about the chickens behavior and how to use it to care for them in the best way possible. During this time they will forgo many other changes that the students will have to work with. At the end of the six weeks the students will take a field trip to a local processing plant. The students will have the chance to watch the chickens be slaughtered.
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