So, last week, I featured the rabbit program. They are still majorly successful due to the cute, fuzzy factor. Well, what about the chickens?

Today, I was going to do Rock Geology for the first Pick Your Own. However, I didn’t get a chance to finish priming the coop, so I had to keep working. Park wanted to play human checkers, but since with sidewalk chalk inside the program building. As I moved the cage, four of the five girls walked up and said: Can we help clean?

I was just floored. Who in the world WANTS to clean up quail poop? I don’t know if it was just me, and they love me enough to want to do things with me because I am fun… or if it is because they are happy to have animals around. These girls both had ADHD, and putting them to work to make a difference made them much more “manageable” than I have ever experienced before (and before anyone says anything, I love all of my girls, but some are delayed socially like I was).

The girls wanted to clean up after the animals.

They also grabbed the broom, and swept out the corner of the program center where the rabbits were held  (without me even asking!). As a reward, I pulled a chicken out of the kitchen where they were stored. The girls asked if they could pet her, and hold her. After warning girls that chickens can peck (if they are hungary) and they needed to wash their hands. So, the chicken got passed around.

The chickens get their moment

After they were done handling the chicks, they volunteered to paint the primer left to paint on the coop! I was so thrilled, that I pulled out the brushes and let them go at it. It is hard paining through hardware cloth, so paint before attaching cloth. However, the paint does coat the pointy ends of the wire.

Girls helping paint the primer on the court

And lastly, I had to test the coop (and paint inside)… the door closes, and we can cage unruly campers. 😀

The coop works!