Exploratorium!

Over the weekend my friend Lorraine and I packed up some of our chickens and set up our display along with 2 dozen other hands-on educational exhibits at a large arena in Saint John. "Exploratorium" was put on by an alternative private school and we imagined it would be a rather small affair, so we were pretty amazed at the crowd of 4500 to 5000 people who showed up to pet a chicken, among other things.
     Good thing I had 3 petting friendly chickens to alternate or after 5 hours they would have had their feathers loved off! The funny question I kept getting, as a child would spot a hen on my lap, was "Is that a REAL chicken?"
 Kids love chickens. They love to stroke their soft feathers, touch their beaks and toes with a fingertip, and sense their gentle natures. The entire afternoon they were lined up 6 deep, 10 deep, hordes and hordes of kids all wanting to touch. I began to notice faces I recognised, kids coming back a second and third time. I suppose for many or most it was their first encounter with real live friendly chickens.
     Fancy, the rooster let off a cockle doodle doo every few minutes which startled and delighted and elicited fits of giggles.
       So many inquisitive happy kids, I had a wonderful time.