We wouldn’t be so rich in eggs if it weren’t for our best producers, Henny and Penny, who like clockwork regularly lay extra-extra-large eggs every morning. But Henny and Penny wouldn’t have been part of the flock if it weren’t for our smallest, most timid, and least productive hen — Fluffy.

Kurt was a 21-year-old autistic young man who was transitioning from high school to working at the rehab center for disabled adults, where I was a job coach. We needed to figure out what kind of work Kurt could do.

Recent empirical research shows that they can be a blessing for some children and adults who live with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and other problems where communication, social skills, and learning can become a challenge.

My name is Morgane Golan and I am the head teaching assistant for the Poultry Management course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Poultry Management is one of the two-credit, two-part management classes offered by the Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department.