Going Coo Coo Get real! A scientist messin' around with chicken feathers? And actually making toy boats with them? You bet--and his work is making an important contribution to agricultural science! Zoooom in on the Coo Coo story (under the animal section of Sci4Kids) to see how. Read carefully to score big on the following questions. Some have more than one answer.
1.	How many feathers are produced by the poultry industry each year?
	(A) 2 billion tons (B) enough to fill the Titanic (C) enough to fill more than a billion pillowcases (D) enough to fill a football field, 2 feet deep (E) only the chickens know for sure
2.	What do most farmers do with feathers?
	(A) throw them away (B) make canoes (C) stuff pillows with them (D) grind them up and include in animal feed (E) insulate their barns
3.	The keratin fiber in feathers ...
	(A) is stronger than plant cellulose (B) breaks down in landfills much faster than plastic (C) causes allergic reactions in chicks (D) also makes up your fingernails and toenails (E) is a natural protein
4.	Name three products made in Dr. Schmidt's research. _______________ _______________ _______________

5.	Chemists...
	(A) play with toy boats (B) stuff pillows with chicken feathers (C) study matter and its properties (D) design microscopes (E) often help solve practical problems in the real world
6.	In just a few words, the main point of this story is
	(A) valuable uses can be made of agricultural leftovers (B) science is fun (C) poultry is an important industry (D) chickens are cool (E) feathers cause headaches
7.	Dr. Schmidt's research focuses on ways to benefit the environment--like keeping mountains of feathers out of landfills. What are some ways YOU can help keep the environment healthy?

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