Fluffy Friends Bring Joy to Seniors at Heritage Lodge

by Stephen Dafoe

Although seniors at Heritage Lodge are used to guests visiting, they have had some unique visitors this
past while—fluffy baby chickens.
Homeland Housing Activities Coordinator Courtney Farmer said Forever North Farm from Legal
contacted Homeland Housing, advising them they had hatching kits and inquiring if any of their lodges
would be interested.
“I thought since a lot of our residents used to have chicks and eggs when they were growing up and
even as adults, I thought it would be a nice idea to get kind of nostalgic,” Farmer said. “They’re so cute.
Why not? I thought they’d really enjoy it.”
Six chicks hatched; however, one was taken home with a staff member as it required additional nursing
apart from the other hatch-lings.
The residents have enjoyed spending time with the remaining five.
“I used to have about 200 of them at this time of year,” said Heritage Lodge resident Donna Hawley,
adding having the baby chicks on hand brings back good memories.
Another resident that was happy to see the fluffy fowl is Anne Musick. “Oh, we’re having great fun
having the chicks here,” she said. “They’re so cute.”
Courtney Farmer said the chicks would stay with the residents until the week of June 5.