Chicken Coop

Teachers, along with their students are welcome to visit the coop.  Visits are at the teacher's discretion.  Students visiting the coop during the school day should always be accompanied by a BTMES staff member.  Are you interested in caring for the chickens?  To sign up for coop duty with your students, email Mrs. Harding with the date and time you would like.  She can help get this scheduled.

 

• Toss a small handful or two of scratch into the coop, especially under the roosts.
• Water should be given on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays. If you come to the coop before 4:00PM, there are water jugs available in the main office. If you come after 4:00, please bring a couple of gallons of water from home. 
• Food can be refilled when low. Our food is stored in the metal trash can. 
• Collect eggs from nest boxes. 
• Use sanitizer before exiting coop, and wash with soap and water as soon as possible.
• Remember, chickens should never go in the storage room.

Washing & Storing Eggs:

At BTMES we rinse our eggs in warm water, and using the pads of your fingers (not finger nails) you should be able to get the egg clean. We then sanitize the eggs by rinsing the egg with a mild bleach water solution, and pat the eggs dry with a paper towel. There are small bottles of bleach water in the coop for you to bring you, above the right hand window. 

 

Other notes:

• The run door is on a timer and will open and close automatically. 
• Your students may go into the coop to visit with the chickens, or to help with feeding them. Be sure to have them wear boots and smocks, and remind them not to touch their face while/after handling chickens. Use hand sanitizer upon leaving the coop.
• You are more than welcome to bring food scraps to throw into the run for the chickens. Apple/pear cores, corn cobs, melon rinds, or vegetable scraps are all welcome. Breads and cooked grains (no uncooked rice) are good treats as well.