Sunnyside High School students are helping raise chickens on campus

Sunnyside High students have some added responsibility this year.

The Agri-Science Career Technical Education pathway is now raising chickens.

You can hear them before you see them.

Roosters and egg-laying hens are making themselves right at home in one of the hallways at Sunnyside High School.

"Trust me, in the morning, they're really loud." said Marcos Felix-Casillas, one of dozens of students who are responsible for taking care of them on a daily basis.

The animals are part of the Career Technical Education Agri-Science and the Future Farmers of America programs.

"We change the feed and we change their food, clean up the mess they make in their pens as well," Felix-Casillas said.

They also collect the eggs. They carefully wash them, check for cracks and put them in the carton properly.

They know exactly what to do because more than 75 students were recently trained by the Department of Food and Agriculture.

One of the instructors, Bitor Bravo Pena says right now, the collected eggs are donated to people on campus, but they hope to be able to sell them in the future.

"We're waiting on the license and then we'll get ready to sell them." Bravo Pena said.

The students raised the chickens through all phases -- from incubator through egg-laying age.

"Hence, they're super docile," Bravo Pena said.

They walk them on harnesses to increase productivity.

The juniors and seniors in the Agri-mechanic class built a chicken coop themselves.

Students say all of the work to care for the chickens has built up life skills they'll continue to use.

"It's taught me how to work with other students, as well and how to ask for help and be responsible. Like, having to come every morning and take care of the chickens, it requires responsibility and self-dedication," Felix-Casillas said.

They're always looking to find ways to connect the classroom with the chickens, so for the end of the year, students will come up with projects to figure out which one provides the most enrichment for the animals.

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