BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — Students at a Bellevue high school are using chickens to help learn about agriculture.

Students enrolled in Bryan High School’s urban agriculture academy worked with a flock of seven chickens. Six moved out of the coop last week because a Bellevue ordinance bars roosters. The oldest is a 3-month-old Barred Plymouth Rock hen that hatched at the school.

During incubation, the students learned about the developing chicks. Now that the eggs have hatched, students conduct health checks on the birds.

Channing Reha and other teachers came up with the idea for studying chickens last year. Reha says “there’s no better way to learn than to do and touch and feel.”

Senior Lindsey Parks says “it’s like raising your own child.”