After a long hiatus this summer, Belmont Hill’s resident family of chickens has returned to campus. Taken care of by the Farmers Club, these chickens have been proud members of the BH community since 2017. The three chickens live outside the science building in their own newly renovated coop. They supposedly do have names, but no members of the club can come up with them. A Panel article from 2017 named the chickens Cutlet, Parm, and Nugget, but an email from former club leader Henry Moses last spring named them as Karen, Felicity, and Cynthia (KFC).
The chickens spent the summer with Ms. Ruys, but their disappearance caused quite a stir last spring. The farmers sent a vaguely threatening email to the school asking for information on the chicken’s whereabouts. Later that day, Dr. Goldberg replied, stating that the chickens were, in fact, alive, alongside a completely unrelated stock photo of four chickens enjoying the summer weather. Upon their return this fall, Dr. Goldberg graced the schoolwide email with more stock photos and thanked Ms. Ruys for hosting the chickens.
The Farmers Club feeds the chickens, keeps their coop clean and well-maintained, and collects the eggs that the chickens lay daily. The eggs serve as the farmers’ reward for the hard work of sustaining the chickens. Most of the farmers prefer their eggs scrambled and I am told that Nugget/Cynthia lays the best eggs. In addition to providing for the chickens, the farmers are also experimenting in crop farming, attempting to grow carrots. The Farmers Club is an extremely rewarding group to participate in whether you are interested in farming or not, and will yield delicious eggs as a reward! We look forward to a growth in the farmers club’s portfolio of offerings.
