“Perform physical exams on chickens” is not commonly on a college student’s to-do list.
But this past fall, it was a weekly task for every student enrolled in the 生命科学与农业学院 家禽生产与卫生管理课程.
那是因为除了上课, each student spent at least two hours a week caring for 48 Red Ranger broiler chickens from hatching to processing as a part of the course’s new accompanying Poultry Experiential Education Program (PEEP).
The 程序 gives students the opportunity to immediately apply the concepts they’re learning and develop a specialized set of skills and knowledge that can only come from hands-on experience.
Dr. 凡妮莎Grunkemeyer她是一名兽医，也是英国大学的讲师 农业，营养和粮食系统部 (曾帮工), developed and manages the 程序 and was responsible for overseeing the students’ work and flock health.
“I believe that it’s very important to teach students approaches to raising chickens that consider not only the animal’s production potential but also its welfare,她说。. “这些概念是相互依存的，是成为一个成功农民的一部分.”
为此目的, Grunkemeyer made sure the students understood how the decisions they made — from the variety of bird raised to the type of feed used to the social and physical resources provided for the birds — influence the birds’ wellbeing, the sustainability of the flock and financial viability of the poultry operation. 学生们还与新罕布什尔州当地的生产商进行了交谈, 包括李市Coppal House农场的约翰·赫顿, 卡梅伦·怀特黑德, 供应链总监, 和艾比·基维尼, 质量保证经理, 从皮特 & 门罗的Gerry 's Organic Eggs，他作为演讲嘉宾参观了校园.
“课堂组织的方式, we were always able to take something we were learning in class and apply it to what you were doing with the flock that day,19岁的凯西·斯图佐说. “It helped the information resonate and stick and made everything we were learning real.”
The birds were processed off-site when they were 12 weeks old and made available for purchase by PEEP students and ANFS faculty and staff. 销售所得将用于资助未来的PEEP推广活动, 包括更多与行业专家的演讲活动.
PEEP项目以主要研究的新教学动物为基础 高隧道, which were completed in 2018 and are adjacent to the 主要研究 Fairchild Dairy on the northwest edge of campus. The tunnels have built-in heaters and fans controlled by a 程序mable thermostat, 确保始终保持适当的温度和通风.
还有格伦克迈耶学生的日常照顾, 在充满阳光的室内，鸟儿们享受着广阔的空间,800平方英尺的隧道, 配有小鸡大小的秋千, 栖息平台和悬挂款待喂食者. They also spent time in an exterior 900-square-foot fenced-in foraging area accessed through doors at the rear of the tunnel.
The 高隧道 were funded by the 生命科学学院 and 农业 and the 奥利弗·J. 哈伯德基金. 奥利弗·J. 哈伯德, 1921届毕业生, 一位开创性的养鸡者和遗传学家, 1976年成立了哈伯德基金，以支持动物科学教育.
“对我来说, PEEP reflects the finest qualities of our 主要研究 learning community: an experiential, 丰富的课程，使学生的学习生活."
目前, 招生家禽生产与卫生管理专业, 谁的学生参加了PEEP, is capped at 20 to allow time for each student to have a meaningful amount of hands-on experience caring for the chickens. Grunkemeyer hopes to eventually offer the class in the spring semester as well, 学生人数翻倍.
这个项目不仅仅是为未来的养鸡户准备的.
“Participation in 程序s like PEEP enriches a student’s education by combining practical knowledge with hands-on skill development,格伦克迈耶说. “PEEP的学生注定要从事各种各样的职业. 即使他们再也不养鸡了, they will have a better appreciation for how eggs and chicken make it to their kitchen table and will have gained communication skills and self-confidence that will be widely applicable.”
戴夫·莫特森, professor and chair of the 农业，营养和粮食系统部, 谁有机会观察学生和羊群, 同意.
“对我来说, PEEP reflects the finest qualities of our 主要研究 learning community: an experiential, 丰富的课程，使学生的学习生活,他说. “Several students I spoke to said the experience clarified their intention to pursue graduate study in animal or veterinary science, while others said it ignited their passion to dive deeper in their other 动物科学 and biology courses. When you see 程序s like PEEP, you know you’re doing the right thing as an institution.”
了解更多澳门葡京网赌游戏主要研究的信息 动物科学 程序.
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写的:
莎拉Schaier |生命科学与农业学院
