Every day in so many ways chickens and eggs are part of our daily life. Seldom do we stop to think about the chicken that laid the egg and the whole life cycle of chicken and the egg. The purpose of this patch is to raise awareness of where eggs come from and to expand the scout’s understanding of chickens.
Daisies complete 4 requirements
Brownies complete 6 requirements
Juniors complete 9 requirements
Cadettes complete 11 requirements
Seniors/Ambassadors complete 13 requirements
REQUIREMENTS:
Key S = Requirement met through Storytelling session
T = Requirement met through Chicken Yard Tour
1. Chickens are living creatures and need to be handled with care, too. Show how to safely hold and pet a chicken. (S T)
2. Chickens, like people, are different sizes, shapes and colors. Other than white, find out about at least five colors or color combinations that can appear on chickens. (S T)
3. Not all chickens look the same. For example, some have long wattles while others have short wattles. Find out about at least five chicken breeds and the ways to distinguish one breed from another. (S T)
4. The chicken's body has many similarities to ours. Find out about five characteristics of a chicken’s body that are the same as a human body. Now, find out about five ways that a chicken’s body is different from a human body. (S T)
5. Chickens have feathers instead of hair to cover their bodies. They have different kinds of feathers on different parts of their bodies. Roosters and hens have different kinds of feathers. Find out about a variety of feathers. Can you guess which birds the various feathers may have come from and from which parts of their bodies? (S T) 6. Sit in a chicken yard for five minutes. Observe the variety of shapes and colors naturally appearing in the plants and animals around you as well as in the buildings and other chicken yard features. (T)
7. While in a chicken yard, close your eyes for five minutes. Simply sit and listen to the sounds around you. Describe, to the best of your ability, what you heard. How many different sounds did you hear from the chickens and what other sounds from other animals? How about sounds from plants and nature? (T) 8. Some hens go broody, meaning they sit on a nest of eggs to keep them warm or incubate them until they hatch the eggs into chicks. Learn three things about mother hens hatching eggs into chicks. (S T)
9. All chickens hatch from eggs, but not all eggs hatch into chicks. What is required for an egg to become a chick? Using a raw egg, crack it all into a bowl. Look at the egg and identified the different parts. Which part grows in to the chick in which part becomes food for the baby chick? (T)
10. Go to a grocery store. Look at the different kinds of eggs for sale. Based on how the chickens live and are cared for, how do the average commercial eggs vary from cage-free eggs? How do cage-free eggs vary from free-range eggs? What colors of eggs do you find in the store? What colors of eggs were gathered from the chickens?
11. Most eggs gathered are used for food. Eggs are common in many of our recipes (and also in a lot of animal feed). How many different ways or recipes can you find for cooking with eggs? Select a recipe from a cookbook or invent your own recipe that calls for eggs. Share your food with your troop or your family.
12. Chickens were domesticated thousands of years ago. Using the internet, encyclopedia or books at the library, research the history of the domesticated chicken. What is the oldest breed? From where did the first chickens originate? What role did Queen Victoria of 1800's England play in raising chickens for pleasure or hobby? According to the American Poultry Association or other reliable source, how many breeds of chickens are now officially recognized?
13. Chickens and eggs are part of customs and traditions around the world. One example, is serving eggnog at Christmas time. Discuss with your troop, your parents or read in a book of other ways chickens and eggs are part of our daily lives and customs.
14. Based on what you’ve seen and learned about chickens, invent your own breed of chicken. What features would you want it to have? Draw a picture of your invented chicken. (T)
15. Like every person, every chicken has a story, too. Using the chicken you invented in requirement fourteen, a chicken you saw during a chicken farm tour or storytelling time, or some other time in your life when you were around chickens, make up your own story. It can be written or spoken. Share your story with your family, friends or troop. (T)
16. Using feathers, twigs, flowers, leaves and other items found on in a chicken yard outing, create a nature mobile, picture or collage. (T)
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