Raising, processing farm chickens at Abbeville High

Abbeville High School students were given the opportunity to gain practical knowledge in animal husbandry and understand the intricacies of food production from farm to table.
The slaughtering of 22 chickens, which were raised by the students, was observed by the Agriculture I and II classes, as well as other students.
For seven weeks, Shane Theall and Thomas Stelly, both agriculture teachers, collaborated to teach Abbeville High School students about the process of raising chickens for slaughter.
Over the course of seven weeks, a cohort of agriculture students have been tending to 22 Broiler chickens, providing them with daily sustenance and hydration.
Of the 22 chickens, 20 were generously sponsored by AHS teachers, who will receive the meat from their designated chicken after it has been prepared by the students.
The birds were killed by Stelly and Theall, and then some students prepared the meat for the sponsoring teacher by cutting, cleaning, and bagging it.
Abbeville students have been raising and cleaning chickens for the last two years. Stelly wanted to give AHS agriculture students the chance to raise a farm animal.
According to Stelly, in the past, Ag students had to raise farm animals at home, which was a challenge for AHS students.
He sought a fast and affordable method to raise and process the birds at school, thus prompting his search. The Broiler chickens, being fast-growing and genetically bred to grow faster, were purchased as chicks and could reach full growth in just seven weeks.
After only seven weeks, their weight ranged from seven to 10 pounds before being cleaned.
AHS senior Hunner Hickok weighed and helped clean chickens.
According to Hickok, the experience was very informative.
“It is a really good learning eperience for people who do not know how to it or never it,” said Hickok.
During the class, Theall, the Ag instructor, provided a demonstration on removing the organs of a chicken.
He showcased the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, and digestive system to the students.
The purpose of this activity was to educate the students on the process of food breakdown and digestion in chickens.
To assess their understanding, Theall engaged the students in a quiz on the chicken’s anatomy.
Sophomore TaCarra Stewart displayed great enthusiasm as she answered numerous questions about the digestive system.
Stewart emphasized the significance of this knowledge due to an upcoming test, and expressed that the chance to witness the subject matter firsthand added to her fascination.
“I have a test on this, so I need to know it,” said Stewert.