Chook Maths Project

Part of Numeracy in the Middle Years

The aim of this project was to combine the farm project with a maths unit of work that would suit the needs of a group of our students. We looked at establishing a small business concerned with free range chickens. Egg production and the breeding of stock were the main focus of the project.

Background: The farm project presently has 80 laying hens and 2 roosters. We are also in the process of incubating 80-100 chicks. The project is run at a private farm in Tooradin and the students travel to the farm one day a week. At school we have an aviary and this is used to store and observe the birds.

Tasks: The projects were based on the following topics:

1. Egg production with free range chickens - comparing production income with costs of feeding and housing birds.

2. The chicken breeding program - working out how much it costs to breed our own chickens and the percentage of birds that are actually egg laying.

3. A chicken shed design - designing and constructing a chicken shed based upon the requirements of the free range process.

4. Water testing - Testing water samples from around the farm for salinity.

5. Developing a windbreak / shelter belt - calculating how many trees and shrubs are needed to plant around the farm.

6. Battery hens Vs barn hen Vs free range - going to a supermarket to find out the prices and number of eggs available in the three types of eggs.

Graeme Barwise