“They’re dual-purpose: They provide wonderful eggs — who doesn’t like fresh eggs? — and make the farm better,” explained Kjessie Essue, director of farm operations at Fairview Gardens, about their newest crop: 125 chicks of six different breeds, which will provide pest control and fertilizer with their manure. Although the farm’s apprentices, who receive hands-on agricultural experience and education while working at Fairview, are managing the project and building the henhouses, one particularly maternal black Australorp is teaching these 2½-week-old chicks how to be proper hens. “In the evenings after dinner, we all sit around and watch chicken TV,” said Essue. “They’re just so fun!”
