How to teach your own chicken keeping class

About a month ago I taught my first chicken keeping 101 class to about 17 people in my community. Here are some tips on how to organize and teach your own class:

1. Teach from experience and by example. Understand that you don't have to be an "expert" on every topic or care issue related to chickens. Use your own chicken keeping knowledge and experiences, but be sure to do some research as well. And remember- its ok if you don't know the answer to every question you get asked.
2. Develop a curriculum. Decide what it is you want to teach (a sample outline is below). Do you want to cover just the basics of habitat and care, or do you want to also get more detailed and do a wing clipping demo for example? What about basic chicken anatomy? What are your local chicken regulations, climate considerations, and local resources such as feed stores? How long is your class and how much material can you fit into it? By developing an outline to follow you can create a well rounded class that is informative as well as entertaining.
3. The presentation and setting. Decide how you want to teach the class, where and when . A power point presentation at a community center? An informal class in your own backyard? Do you want to teach using real chickens, coops, and feed, or do you want to just use media such as videos and other visual presentations? Do you want to give handouts or do you want people to take their own notes? There really is no right or wrong way, its just your personal preference. Be sure to also pick a date for your class that does not have any major conflicts with another event.
4. Cost. Is the class free, or is there a set fee or suggested donation? This is also up to personal preference. My last class was free, but I asked for donations towards snacks and lemonade. I personally feel that this is knowledge that should be accessible to all, which is why I did not charge for my last class. I decided however that for future classes I would charge a suggested donation of $5 per family- if you can pay it great and if not there is no problem. I feel this is a modest cost considering that in some cities classes can cost over $40 per person. Charging for the class really depends on how much time and money you put into it, as well as your personal preference.
5. Get the word out. Now that you have put some time and effort into developing your class, its time to get the word out and get people to sign up. I advertised online for free at a few local websites, and tabled at a few community events. I put up some flyers, and also sent out notifications to a few local list serves that I am subscribed to, as well as advertising to my friends, co-workers, and colleagues at school. On my flyers I told people to RSVP at the provided email, and then they would receive directions to my house as well as more details about the class. This allowed me to get an idea of how many people were attending, and kept me from advertising my address directly on the flyers. When I table at community events, I had an email sign up sheet which I highly recommend. Instead of those individuals having to remember to email me for directions and info, it was sent directly to them. This works well, as sometimes flyers get misplaced before people remember to RSVP.

Here is a basic outline of recommended topics you can cover in your class. Don't worry- and teach from experience. If you have already kept chickens for a few years and have read through a few chicken books and websites, then you know how to keep chickens. If you get asked a question you can't answer that is ok. You don't have to be an expert, just someone who wants to teach the basics to their community.

1. Welcome and introductions. Introduce yourself, and have everyone in attendance introduce themselves as well.
2. Go over the agenda. State what it is that will be covered in the class.
3. Local laws and resources. First give info on your local poultry laws and regulations, as well as local groups, feed stores, etc.
4. Benefits of chickens. There may be some in the class who know nothing about chickens- so be sure to cover the many benefits of keeping them.
5. The basics. Talk about how long chickens live, some of the different breeds you can have, difference between a rooster and a hen, coops, etc.
6. Getting started. Be sure to cover how to be prepared for baby chicks/new chickens, such as a habitat, some basic knowledge, etc.
7. Baby chicks. How to house, warm, feed and care for your newbies (be sure to use props, such as your brooder, examples of feed, etc).
8. Young birds. Talk about changes in care and feed as chicks age, when they start laying, etc.
9. Adult birds. Teach the basics of caring for adult birds, egg production, habitat, food, snacks, etc.
10. Show off your coop. Show others where your chickens live!
11. Answer questions. Take questions as they come up, but also save some time at the end for Q and A.

Good luck! I hope people find this helpful. Someday when I get the time (aka- not in grad school/working) I want to develop a more in depth outline that has the basics facts listed/gives a lot of info.