WATERBORO — There’s no doubt about it, spring is here. You can tell by the peeps emanating from special education teacher Erin O’Brien’s classroom, just down the hall from the main office at Massabesic Middle School.

Peeps? You bet. There are baby chicks being raised here.

It all starts with the egg, of course. They’re placed in incubators, where they’re kept warm, and then, one by one, nature takes its course and baby chicks emerge. Then, they go into a pen, where there’s food and water, and a lamp to keep them warm.

O’Brien, who started the chick program 20 years ago, said the chicks are popular with most everyone in the school.

Students are all allowed “chick time” if they’ve completed their school work.

And during a break in the school day, students frequently poke their head into the door of the classroom to peer at the fuzzy little birds.

Student Kianna Ladebush, whom O’Brien said has helped with the program for some time, had earned chick time, and was doing nurse duty Thursday, holding a chick wrapped in a washcloth. The baby bird had a leg injury and O’Brien had installed a splint, but putting him back in the pen with the others wasn’t a good option ”“ the others had pecked at the injured bird. So Ladebush took over.

O’Brien held a bantam, born that morning. Another in the incubator had just hatched, but didn’t look well ”“ time would tell, but O’Brien said over the years, there have been some chick funerals.

“The custodians are chick sitters at night and on the weekends,” O’Brien explained, making sure the birds have feed and fresh water. 

At the end of the year, O’Brien conducts an adoption process.

One school employee has four hens from last year’s flock, and enjoys fresh eggs.

Will she adopt more?

“I want to,” she said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected]