An Unexpected Delight

With the recent completion of our passive solar greenhouse, our old seed-starting tunnel was sitting empty at the bottom of the hill. I developed the notion to move all 300 of our laying hens from the winter barnyard into this now vacated space. However, nighttime chicken moves, while not an uncommon occurrence, are always quite arduous to do alone so I decided to recruit help from our winter campers.

As evening singing closed one evening, a resolute group of nearly twenty campers donned their winter gear and headed toward the barnyard. Circling up amidst the chicken coops, we reviewed our simple plan: I would enter the coop and pass out birds to campers lined up just outside the door who would walk these birds the one hundred feet or so to their new home in the empty high tunnel. Some campers, having chickens of their own, were excited and immediately jumped in, while many others were less confident, trepidatiously allowing me to help fold a calm sleepy bird into their arms.

As we settled into our rhythm, the crunch of snow, excited whispers, and clucking of birds filled the air. A mirthfulness spread through the group as I rapidly filled and refilled the arms of waiting children. My intrepid poultry burglars, gaining confidence, began moving ever quicker. Not often do I have the opportunity to immerse myself so deeply with campers in such an intense and meaningful interaction with our animals, and the speed with which I watched campers settle into the comfort of such a rhythmic chore was beautiful. The excitement was palpable and infectious. Laughter spilt forth from tiny bubbles of children in the dark, and a frenetic energy crackled through the calm stillness of a moonless winter night and roosting birds. We moved with a growing swiftness as campers, in their developing comfort, began to carry not just a single bird, but two or three or even up to six at a time.

As we drew to a close, having successfully moved hundreds of birds to their new home and reaching the end of our evening activity period, campers expressed disappointment that our fun had reached its end. Their stories of moving chickens echoed across the breakfast hall the next morning and what initially had been a way for me to spread the weight of a difficult job had become a delightful memory and formative experience for so many of the campers who shared in the chicken quest. By the time we finished, the flock had a new home with dry ground instead of melting snow and mud, sunshine waiting for them in the morning, and plenty of space to scratch and explore. The results were immediate. Egg production nearly doubled overnight, while also making the daily chores much easier. The real success, though, was watching the children rise to the challenge of a unique growth opportunity. Seeing them develop a newfound confidence and sense of accomplishment in real time has always been the true magic of Glen Brook.

-Farmer Sam