Illuminating Chicken Reproduction

Abstract

This creative non-fiction essay explores the science of chicken reproduction on a family farm in the Fraser Valley. Science and story are entwined as the author relates her personal experience helping her dad manipulate the light conditions necessary for the flock to reproduce. The events described reveal the complexity of farming and the meticulous practices necessary to rear chickens successfullyâbirds native to the tropicsâin coastal British Columbia. Complete with humour and vivid imagery, this narrative aims to build a better understanding of the process of light stimulation in the biology of chickens and the daily operations of a farm. This essay takes a remarkable journey into a broiler-breeder chicken barn, illuminating a little-known component of the poultry industry.