Recently, St. Philip the Apostle School has gained two more member of our diverse school family; two new baby chicks! These baby chickens were the ones to hatch out of three, and were kept beside Ms. Yanish’s fifth grade classroom for everyone in the school to see. However, like everyone else in our school, these chickens also have a story.

In past years, this experiment/project has been conducted by Mrs. Gripp and the fifth grade classes, though it has always been an event the entire school likes to participate in. This was the same this year, but the origin of the chicks was different. Usually, Mrs. Gripp has the eggs shipped in from a chicken farm in Nebraska, but this year, the winter was too cold for that to happen. After searching and searching for another place to get the fertilized chicken eggs in southern California, Mrs. Gripp finally found a chicken farm in Agoura that was willing to give. The eggs were taken all the way to West L.A. on the back of a motorcycle! There they were given to Mrs. Gripp’s daughter, and from there given to a friend who kept them safe until Mrs. Gripp could come and get them. Finally, they came to stay in an incubator in the school, where they stayed until they hatched. It was a long journey for the little chick eggs!

When the farmer was choosing which eggs he wanted to give Mrs. Gripp, he decided he wanted to give her 3 different types of eggs with 3 different types of chickens in them. We won’t know what kind of chicken our chicks are until their feathers grow in a bit more, but it’s sure they are different types of chickens because one has an orange beak and one has a grey beak. The chicks are also different sizes, and one even has feathers growing on its feet! This is a new characteristic to a St. Philip chick, as it is we have never has a chicken before with feathers on the feet. The chick also already have names; Peeps and Hufflepuff.

Currently, the chicks still reside beside Ms. Yanish’s classroom, however, they now live comfortably in a box together. All the classes from K-5 have had a chance to play with the chicks. They do this by sitting and a circle, and allowing the chicks to run around in the middle for observation. Everyone in those classes has also had the opportunity to hold the chicks. These chicks are very gentle, sweet, and cuddly, as it is they love to be held.  At the moment, the chicks stay at the school, but they will eventually be adopted by a family at St. Philip the Apostle School. There are already several families that currently own chickens that would be willing to take Peeps and Hufflepuff, but their final home is not certain yet.

If you get a chance, you should stop by and see the chicks in their home by Ms. Yanish’s classroom. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and remind you that Easter is just around the corner!