FFA adviser and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department teacher Levi Carr holds a chicken in the newly built chicken coop on May 4. The FFA chapter got the ten baby chickens in March and FFA Vice President Kathleen Dykes, a sophomore, feels that the chickens will be beneficial for helping students learn about livestock. “I think having the new chickens will allow many students throughout the school to be involved in learning the responsibilities of having livestock,” Dykes said. “They can learn how to become more responsible by the daily things that chickens need, like new feed and new water and cleaning the chicken coop out.” Photo by Luna Reichert
The CCHS FFA chapter adopted chickens in March, which will benefit the FFA program by educating students and raising money.
For the first time, Clarke Central High School has livestock living on the property. In March, the CCHS FFA chapter adopted 10 baby chickens, which can be found in a chicken coop next to the greenhouse overlooking Billy Henderson Stadium.
Hoping to use the chickens as an opportunity to expose students to real-world experiences, FFA adviser and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department teacher Levi Carr chose to get them because of their small size and how they are easier to manage compared to other farm animals.
“Getting chickens was my idea. I wanted to expose students to animal science because we’re starting the animal and (veterinary) science program,” Carr said. “Many of my students don’t get to have hands-on experiences involving animal science. I want them to better understand where their food, drinks, clothes come from.”
Photos of the FFA chapter’s chickens are shown on May 4. FFA adviser and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department teacher Levi Carr decided to get the chickens as a resource for students who want to explore their interests working with animals. “We can (use the chickens to) engage students and get them more involved with our FFA chapter,” Carr said. “Our (FFA) poultry judging and meat evaluation team can practice with the chickens.” Photos by Luna Reichert
In addition to educating students, Carr wants to be able to sell the chicken’s eggs to the community in order to raise money for the FFA program. FFA Vice President Kathleen Dykes, a sophomore, works with livestock for FFA and is excited to be able to share her interests with others.
“Having more animal programs within FFA makes me really excited because I have always had a passion for raising livestock,” Dykes said. “(Being) able to learn more about livestock in school and share my experiences with others is something I have a passion for.”
Carr’s Animal Science class began during the 2021-22 academic year, but his Veterinary Science class will not start until the 2022-23 year. The FFA chapter and Carr’s Animal Science class collaboratively built the coop where the chickens are living.
“My students will learn more in depth about some of the stuff we learn in the Basic (Agriculture) course. These are great classes to take if you’re interested in animals and veterinary science,” Carr said. “(This allows) students (to) have a little experience if they are serious about the vet science and animal science fields.”
