WASHINGTON 鈥� For many, the mention of Easter conjures the image of a fluffy bunny or little聽yellow chick.
Often, families might get their children a baby聽chick as an Easter present only to find themselves with a rapidly growing pullet … and no idea of what to do with it.
鈥淲e do get a lot of phone calls a week or two after Easter saying 鈥楬ey, we got some chicks for Easter and they鈥檙e chickens now 鈥� what do we do?鈥欌�� says聽Greg Glenn, co-founder, CEO and Farm Manager at Rocklands Farm Winery and Market in Poolesville.
He can鈥檛 help by taking their young chickens off their hands: taking birds from outside his own registered flock could introduce disease, including avian flu.
But Rocklands Farm did come up with a program they hope prevents the post-Easter chicken abandonment 鈥� a chick rental program.
鈥淵ou essentially get a box with two chicks. You get all the food and bedding you need for a week,鈥� Glenn says, adding that renters also get instructions on how to care for the little peeps without the long-term commitment.
Glenn says kids enjoy the chance to have a chick in their care, and parents like knowing that they can introduce their kids to caring for an animal.
For kids, even the box that the chicks come from is a source of excitement.
鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 just a blank box, it鈥檚 been really fun for the kids,” he says.
Glenn says they decorate it, draw castles on it and, more importantly, take ownership of the whole process of housing and feeding an animal.
And there鈥檚 even a form of agricultural tech support. Run into a problem while the chick is in your care? Glenn says renters聽can call the farm for help, and if you find after just a few days it鈥檚 not a good fit, just bring the chicks back.
There are important things to remember: Maryland鈥檚 Department of Agriculture has recommended that whenever chicks are handled, it should be followed up by thorough hand washing. Rockland Farm’s care guide suggests that adults should be around to supervise when the chicks are being handled.
There is a life lesson involved here: Glenn says families are told from the start that these are not laying hens. These chickens are destined to end up on a plate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a meat chicken, and it鈥檚 central to our mission at the farm, teaching people were their food comes from,” he says.
Glenn says the program has been successful in the four years it鈥檚 been running.
鈥淲e want to inform our community where their food comes from and instill a deep reverence for where that food comes from,” he says.
The program has been timed to coincide with Easter, but that鈥檚 not always the case. This year, families can register up until the end of April. The rental will run from May 7 to May 14.
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