"Why did the chicken cross the playground?" Evelyn Golden asked. "To get to the other slide!"

Kindergarteners at Rochester Memorial School had a visit from a feathery friend on Monday, when Golden, from the Plymouth County 4-H program, stopped by with her chicken Dorthy.

Part of the kindergarten curriculum is learning about life cycles, so Golden taught students about embryology, as well as the basic anatomy of a chicken.

Dorthy, donned with a red harness and a leash, sat patiently while students pet her and examined her.

“Sometimes I think she thinks she’s a dog,” Golden joked. “So don’t say ‘chicken’ too loud, she might not know.”

Kindergarten teacher Melissa Wiegel said in the spring her class was planning on hatching chickens in the classroom using an incubator.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I’ve never done that before.”