(Video News Story) Farm Sanctuary takes in chickens from school project

[Guest guest]

What a wonderful story! Those precious chickens. Hopefully, that will be the last of the "food cycle" of death for dinner taught there! (Video option on right halfway down the story).

 

Updated: 12/06/2008 09:08 AM

 

 

By: Kat De Maria

 

 

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Over the past ten weeks, these chickens were raised by students at Canandaigua Academy. The so-called chicken project is part of the high school's ecology elective.

"It involves the study of how our society, our culture brings food to the table," said Andy Thomas, Canandaigua City School District Spokesperson.

A critical part of that, school officials say, is taking the life of an animal, which the students do at the end of the chicken project. That's drawn the concern of animal rights groups, like Farm Sanctuary.

"We've been trying to get them to turn them over to us and just teach the kids about animal agriculture in a more humane way," said Michelle Waffner, Education Director at Farm Sanctuary.

So have others and in the process, school officials learned they need a state waiver to kill live birds. They made that request and were denied Thursday.

 

 

 

 

Farm Sanctuary takes in chickens from school project

Nearly 20 chickens slated to be slaughtered as part of a controversial high school program have been spared and will live out the rest of their lives on a Southern Tier farm. The birds were part of an ecology class at Canandaigua Academy. As our Kat De Maria tells, they now have a permanent home at the Farm Sanctuary.

 

 

 

 

 

"In the end, they decided not to give us the waiver and that we probably should not particulate in any termination of life," said Thomas.

Canandaigua Academy released the chickens to Farm Sanctuary Thursday. Staff says they'll stay here for the rest of their natural lives.

"They'll be able to live nice comfortable lives. Plenty of access to outdoors. They'll be monitored by health care staff," said Waffner.

Staff say the birds will require extra care because they're bred as meat chickens to be very big very young. They say they hope Canandaigua Academy discontinues the chicken project. The spokesperson says the school may have to, because the lesson isn't as meaningful without the full food cycle.

"By the time next year rolls around, we only offer this in the fall, we will be looking at what kind of alternatives are possible," Thomas said.

Perhaps alternatives more palatable to everyone involved.

The Canandaigua spokesperson says this was the fourth year of the academy's chicken project.