Few creatures are as productive and simple as the hen or the rabbit. 

 

They are both easy to keep, relatively quiet and oh so productive.

We will start off the morning of learning by doing the daily rounds of feed and water for our rabbits and laying hens.

The children will help us mix feeds, replenish feed pans and fill water buckets for the farms laying flocks of ducks, hens, and turkeys. As we do this we will discuss why these things are important and what the farmer looks at each morning to ensure his flock's wellbeing.

 

We then collect the eggs and take them up to the barn for cleaning. Once each little orb is sparkling clean a little experiment is in order. Cracking eggs from different farms with feeding styles is eye-opening as to WHY what we eat is important, and the difference is so visible in an egg. Then we're off to the farm classroom to check the incubators and hopefully catch chicks in the process of hatching!!! 

 

We will have lots of baby chicks and ducks to cuddle with while we learn about the lifecycle of farm fowl. How chicks develop (by looking through an eggshell at a live embryo)  and how eggs are made. We will explore our egg experiments with some good old fashioned egg relays and an egg toss!

 

We will break for lunch while the children will experiment with helping us cook up different types of egg dishes for lunch!

 

After lunch, we will journey to the rabbitry to see our herd of Angora and lop bunnies. Exploring what rabbits add to the farm is very informative, and we will have lots of hands-on with baby bunnies at different life stages. We will explore what they eat, what their wool is used for, and why their poo is considered garden Gold. Taking that Gold and turning it into compost will be sure to invite some great conversations! ​

 

    There is nothing more fun than snuggling baby chicks, ducks, and bunnies, and what a better way to learn about lifecycles and food production!

 

We will also continue our investigations into pro-biotics today.