Township saves the chickens

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Chadds Ford’s Katharine King had a dilemma. She was tending to a new batch of baby chicks when the power went out Tuesday.

The chicks had been shipped from Colorado and were less than a week old. Nutrient from the yolk sustains them for shipping, but after that, and at less than a week old, they needed to be kept in an area where the temperature was between 90 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. With no power for the heating lamps, King couldn’t give them the proper temperature.

Things became more problematic Wednesday morning when it was clear to King that no one knew when power would be restored.

Knowing the township uses an emergency generator, she made a call, asking if she could bring the cage and heat lamps to the Chadds Ford Township building. The answer was “Yes.”

So, King — who’s been keeping chickens for their eggs for 24 years — took 15 baby chicks, the lamps and the cage to Turner’s Mill and put the young little ladies — with cage and lamps — in a downstairs area where they could be kept warm.

“We just provided some shelter,” said Township Manager Amanda Serock.

It was important to King.

“They need to be kept at 95 to 98 degrees for the first week. Then [the temperature requirement] is reduced by five degrees every week until it reaches 70 degrees,” she said. “It was pretty critical on Tuesday because they were less than a week old.”

Katharine King checks on her chicks before taking them back home.
Katharine King checks on her chicks before taking them back home.

The chicks were OK at the King home through Tuesday night, but Katharine King became concerned Wednesday morning, so “I called the [township] office. They could always say ‘no,’ but they were very helpful in letting me keep the chicks there and tend to them. [Township personnel] have repeatedly told the community they can provide services in a situation like this. One never thought that it would have to be chickens,” King said.

King added that she and the humans in the family were prepared to use the township facilities themselves to be able to take a hot shower.

“That’s the whole point of the building,” said Township Secretary Matt DiFilippo.

King started raising chicks when her two oldest children were still young, ages 5 and 3. The idea, she said, was to teach them responsibility.

She said taking care of chickens trained the two to be responsible for something else everyday. In time, it also taught them how to manage money through buying feed and selling eggs.

“They learned to spend, sell and save,” she said.

The current new brood members are White Laced Wyandotte, Speckled Sussex and Buff Orpington chickens. King said they’ll start laying eggs in about five months, and then produce about 280 eggs per year.

(Top photo: Chadds Ford Township secretary Mat DiFilippo and Katharine King with two of the chicks allowed to stay warm at the township building while the King’s home was without power.)

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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