Chicken Volunteering!

My Time Volunteering at PCLF
by Erin Childers, Austin Community College Student

Over spring break from college in Austin, Texas, I traveled to Illinois to visit family and to volunteer at the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm. This was an awesome experience! I have been playing with the idea of farming land for a while now, and when I was assigned volunteer hours for my “Introduction to Social Work” class, this seemed like a great opportunity to explore these ideas.

I worked a majority of my time with the chicken flock. I had a great time. One of the most fun things was making a “play ground” for the chickens out of stumps. I was not aware of it, but apparently chickens can get bored. One way of avoiding chicken boredom is to give them things to jump on, climb under, and peck at. After we moved some stumps to the chicken yard from another part of the farm, we spread chicken feed around the new objects to engage the chickens, and watched as they jumped up and around, pecking at their food.
 

Another chore I was given was to fork the straw in the floor of the coop, and scrape the ledges and roosts clean. The bird waste would gather in the straw and on the ledges, so both of these chores were essentially making sure that the smell was not over powering, and waste management. Even though both chores were somewhat gross in nature, the tangible result of hard work was very satisfying. Much more so than running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.

The week I spent at PCLF was a great experience. I am looking forward to helping in the future, if schedules permit! Thanks for the opportunity, Sharon!

Volunteering with the Learning Farm Chickens

A December Volunteer at the End of the Year!

posted by Sharon Gaughan

Sara Teemer, a freshman at DePaul University and a Mundelein resident, volunteered for the Learning Farm during her December break from college. For several weeks, Sara came to the farm for 3-4 hours every Tuesday and Thursday. Sara has a strong interest in animals, so at least some of her time each visit was spent working with and for our chicken flock -- but since she's studying to be a high school biology teacher at DePaul, we also got her involved with Mr. C. and the Montessori students.

I asked Sara if she would be interested in writing a post about her experience for our hen blog.  Here are Sara's words, and some photos that I took of her hard at work with our girls...

Volunteering at the Learning Farm
by Sara Teemer

I’ve always loved and been surrounded by animals. I’ve been kissed by a sea lion, fed a sting ray its dinner, and have even ridden an elephant. But before coming to the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm, I had never seen a chicken in person. Then on my very first day, there I was, face-to-face with one.

In addition to never seeing a chicken before, I had also never been on a farm other than ones that were meant for tourists in random parts of the mid-west. I also had no idea that my time on the farm would teach me more than a textbook ever could.

As many of us know, the month of December has the potential to be dull, monotonous, and very very cold, but from my very first day on the farm, I knew my December would be the complete opposite.

Among the different things I did over my few weeks on the farm, I really enjoyed working with the Montessori students and getting to practice my education skills. Most of my own learning came from Sharon and the chickens, though. Feeding, chasing, and being pecked on were some of the most entertaining experiences I had with them. Sweet-natured and otherwise submissive, the ladies (as I called them) welcomed me into their coop and with unending curiosity, followed along as I forked the straw and scraped poop off perches. They also really loved the colors on my boots, apparently!
 

As my time on the farm ends, I know that I’m leaving with a great deal of knowledge (especially understanding the real meaning behind “being as close to your food as possible”) and several funny memories, like practically playing hide and seek with Rutabaga as I tried to chase her out of the parking lot and back into the Children’s Garden.

Despite the fact that work got dirty – poop, mud, and worms aren't as bad as you think! – it was hard work that truly made me understand just how important farming and local agriculture is. We have the potential to be our best selves with healthy eating, and take care of the Earth with the same care it's provided us. 

I know that I wouldn’t have traded my winter break for any other experience, poop and all.

 

Forking straw in the henhouse...

 

Spreading feed in the chicken yard...

 

Picking kale to feed the chickens...