A hatch made in heaven! Fareham care home residents welcome feathery new friends

A care home in Fareham has welcomed nine chicks as part of its spring celebrations. 

Residents at Care UK’s Parker Meadows, on Redlands Lane, have been eagerly awaiting the hatching of the chicks who arrived from Incredible Eggs in an incubator last week.

Incredible Eggs is an ethical provider of high-welfare hatching kits throughout England and Scotland.

 

As the start to their seasonal preparations, residents were able to watch the eggs hatching in the incubator and witness the chicks starting their lives in front of their eyes. 

Residents were quick to get involved with the new arrivals, and couldn’t wait to get hands-on with the care of the adorable additions.

Joss a resident at Parker Meadows said: “It has been lovely watching the chicken hatch, they have grown so quick. It takes me back to when I was a kid and my mum use to buy day old chicks and we would rear them.”

Matthew Smith, General Manager at Parker Meadows, said: “The residents have absolutely loved welcoming the chicks into the home to look after them – surprising them with the hatching eggs has made the start of the Easter season all the more egg-citing.

“Here at Parker Meadows, we love to come up with new and exciting experiences for the residents to enjoy, and the chicks were a wonderful way to help them to reconnect with their past and the animals they grew up around in their younger years. 

“Animal therapy has many benefits for older people, as it can be relaxing, prompt conversations and story-sharing, and put a huge smile on everyone’s faces, which was absolutely the best part of it for the whole team.

“It was a genuinely lovely experience to welcome the chicks into our home!”

The team at Parker Meadows are looking after the chicks for the rest of the Easter period, and team members are set to adopt them in a few weeks time.

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Parker Meadows incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The home provides full-time residential care, nursing care, dementia care and respite care in addition to Independent Living Bungalows. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

To find out more about Parker Meadows, please call Joe Gould, Home Admissions Advisor, on 01329 889571, or email Joe.Gould@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/parker-meadows