As the chickens slothfully sit in their coop, sophomore Quinn Devine watches intently waiting for his chance to retrieve the eggs that lie beneath them.

“That’s the best part about having them,” he said. “Fresh eggs.”

Devine and his family house many animals in their backyard, including the more conventional pets of cats and dogs, and the less conventional— ducks and chickens. Devine said, “I think it’s fun to have so many different types of animals. I really like the cats, but I don’t know if I have a favorite pet. They’re all pretty cool.”

However, like all things, taking care of all these different animals does not come with only positives. “It takes a ton of work,”

Devine said. “They all need to be fed, the chicken coop needs to be cleaned, and obviously they all need to be checked up on often.”

Despite this, he recognizes the value that can come out of this responsibility.

Devine said, “There’s definitely important life lessons that I’ve gained tending to the animals. I’ve learned about responsibility and accountability from just making sure that all the chickens and ducks are being looked after. Then, there’s also communication as I have to know how to get the animals to do the things I want them to do, which can be tough.”

“The most important thing I’ve learned though has been patience,” he said.

Waiting for the chickens to leave their coop, and more importantly their eggs, can be a laborious process.

“It sometimes takes forever,” Devine said.

Still, Devine takes pride in the lessons he’s learned from his farm animals. “I think that the lessons certainly are valuable and they are things I can use for the rest of my life.

Back in the present, Devine watches carefully as the chickens slowly exit the coop. Before they have the chance to re-enter the coop, Devine removes the freshly-laid eggs. Raising them up to the sky with a smile on his face, he said, “Breakfast.”