Chicken Coop

Welcome to the BTMES Chicken Coop site!

An exciting addition to Barre Town Middle and Elementary School for the 2014-15 school year - and one that we still enjoy to this day - was the construction of our very own chicken coop!

To sign up for coop duty, find an open date on the calendar, and email Mr. Dubois the date you'd like.

How to care for the chickens:

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:

Containers for bleach solution for washing 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.

egg cleaning solution in bottles above window

The video below shows the procedures of washing eggs and refilling food and water. The video has some old information about collecting, washing, and bringing eggs into school. This summer you may keep any eggs you collect.

Other notes:

The run door is on a timer and will open and close automatically. If the run door isn't open when you go to collect eggs, it may have fallen off of its hook. Look to see whether the hook is attached to the screw on the door. If it has gotten knocked off, just pull the door out completely, leave it in the front hallway, and email Mr. Dubois.
Your child/children may always go into the coop to visit with the chickens if it fits with your schedule. Be sure to have them wear boots and smocks, and remind them not to touch their face while/after handling chickens.
You are more than welcome to bring food scraps from home 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.