“With the grant awarded to our center in Fall 2022, he and his team have been able to purchase five chicken coops and Buff Silkie Bantam, Buff Cochin Bantam, Buff Orpington, White Cochin, and Partridge Cochin eggs that will be used to increase the population of chickens and help breed to sustain the future population,” Broughton shared. “In addition to our Chicken Coops, our Living Materials Center will send out about 100 incubators, 75 dozen fertile chicken eggs, and 12 dozen fertile quail eggs to PK-12 teachers in the Dallas ISD. After incubation starts, the eggs take about 3 weeks to hatch. Then teachers keep the chicks to study for 1-3 weeks until they find them a permanent home. Some schools are even building chicken coops so they can be the permanent home for their birds!”

Currently the center is home to 15 chickens, but with the addition of the new coops and eggs the center will soon increase that number to about 70. The center is free to Dallas ISD schools and offers the opportunity for classroom visits. Every field trip and visit to the center is equivalent to about 240 PK-12 students allowing over 25,000 students a year.

“Mark and his team care for and enjoy what they do at the center. It was great to see the chickens appreciate their new homes. The center is home to other animals too, such as goats and cows.We look forward to coming back in the Fall to see the baby chicks and any new animals the center will have,” Moreno said.

To learn more about the Dallas ISD Environment Education Center, visit https://www.dallasisd.org/Domain/96