Chicken age to be good with small kids

[Roseandblanche]

Hi,

I’m a mom with 2 kids ages 5 & 8. I just bought a chicken coop and am ready to buy 2 chickens!

It’s really important to me to have loving chickens who like to be held and don’t mind being picked up. My kids love chasing after and holding chickens.

I also want chickens that produce well.

I’ve been told it’s best to get chicks so they get used to being held and can be raised with the kids-however I don’t think I want to deal with chicks and would prefer to skip that stage.

Can chickens older than the chick stage, be trained to be held and be lovable? Where can you buy chickens just past the chick stage?

 

[cavemanrich]

Can chickens older than the chick stage, be trained to be held and be lovable? Where can you buy chickens just past the chick stage?

Chickens that are held, and nurtured even adult,, will become used to the love they feel from handler. Of course each chicken can have a different disposition.
Stay away from roosters of course,,, with young children.
I also suggest you get more than just 2. Chickens do not come with a guarantee to live. So,,, if you loose one,, then you need to replace it. That can sometimes cause difficulties introducing a newcomer. Especially since you are new to chickens.
You also want chickens that produce well. The best choice would be Sexlink chickens. This way you do get a good production hen,,, with no chance of it being a rooster. There is a drawback to such though. Such chickens are good,, but do not have long lives. 4 to 5 years for high production hens, and then they expire.
If you want chickens referred to as started pullets,, you need to find someone that is willing to sell you some. Feed stores often have bulletin boards inside with peeps posting items for sale.
Another option,, is to post your request on your local state thread.
No location in your profile,,, so I cant direct you to one.
This way,, you can possibly purchase from someone that is not far/distant, from you.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[EChicky]

Hi,

I’m a mom with 2 kids ages 5 & 8. I just bought a chicken coop and am ready to buy 2 chickens!

It’s really important to me to have loving chickens who like to be held and don’t mind being picked up. My kids love chasing after and holding chickens.

I also want chickens that produce well.

I’ve been told it’s best to get chicks so they get used to being held and can be raised with the kids-however I don’t think I want to deal with chicks and would prefer to skip that stage.

Can chickens older than the chick stage, be trained to be held and be lovable? Where can you buy chickens just past the chick stage?

Congrats! Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!!

I HIGHLY recommend the buff Orpington. Though they can get broody mine produce eggs fine and are basically the golden retrievers of the chicken world. I absolutely love them cause they are cuddly and will come right up to be held. Perfect for children! Another good breed is the bared Plymouth Rock. They are pretty hardy, docile, and great egg layers. Plus they are really smart. I even trained one of mine to do small tricks for treats They also live pretty long! Mine (Molly) is actually almost 8 years old!

I also agree that you should get more than two. If one passes away you don’t just want to be left with a lonely sad bird. 5 is always a good number to start with but it is definitely a rabbit hole. once you get chickens you become obsessed with them.

You can buy chickens as pullets of maybe around 6-8 weeks so that they are large enough to go outside but still small enough to be able to be imprinted upon. My barred rock was 8 weeks when we got her and she is the sweetest! If you want pullets this age I would look for local farms as hatcheries won’t deliver chicks over a day old usually.

 

[Roseandblanche]

Chickens that are held, and nurtured even adult,, will become used to the love they feel from handler. Of course each chicken can have a different disposition.
Stay away from roosters of course,,, with young children.
I also suggest you get more than just 2. Chickens do not come with a guarantee to live. So,,, if you loose one,, then you need to replace it. That can sometimes cause difficulties introducing a newcomer. Especially since you are new to chickens.
You also want chickens that produce well. The best choice would be Sexlink chickens. This way you do get a good production hen,,, with no chance of it being a rooster. There is a drawback to such though. Such chickens are good,, but do not have long lives. 4 to 5 years for high production hens, and then they expire.
If you want chickens referred to as started pullets,, you need to find someone that is willing to sell you some. Feed stores often have bulletin boards inside with peeps posting items for sale.
Another option,, is to post your request on your local state thread.
No location in your profile,,, so I cant direct you to one.
This way,, you can possibly purchase from someone that is not far/distant, from you.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

Hi thank you so much for your reply!
I was thinking 2 chickens because our coop
Is small-(approx 2x6 with 2 nesting boxes) although I plan to let them roam free most of the time that I am home in our backyard.

We live in Oceanside, Ca
I’d love a link to buy chickens-older than chicks from the feed store..:

 

[Roseandblanche]

Congrats! Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!!

I HIGHLY recommend the buff Orpington. Though they can get broody mine produce eggs fine and are basically the golden retrievers of the chicken world. I absolutely love them cause they are cuddly and will come right up to be held. Perfect for children! Another good breed is the bared Plymouth Rock. They are pretty hardy, docile, and great egg layers. Plus they are really smart. I even trained one of mine to do small tricks for treats They also live pretty long! Mine (Molly) is actually almost 8 years old!

I also agree that you should get more than two. If one passes away you don’t just want to be left with a lonely sad bird. 5 is always a good number to start with but it is definitely a rabbit hole. once you get chickens you become obsessed with them.

You can buy chickens as pullets of maybe around 6-8 weeks so that they are large enough to go outside but still small enough to be able to be imprinted upon. My barred rock was 8 weeks when we got her and she is the sweetest! If you want pullets this age I would look for local farms as hatcheries won’t deliver chicks over a day old usually.

Thank you for your reply! I will try to find a local farm-we are in oceanside, ca.
I bought my coop used and the person that sold it to me said it’s only large enough for 2-3 chickens that’s why I was only planning on two
I don’t want to invest in a larger coop until I know it’s something that we’re going to love as a family.

 

[Somshine]

Buff orpingtons are super friendly!

 

[wrathsfarm]

Check here..
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/sea...=pullets&search_distance=36#search=1~grid~0~0
A couple screen shots below..these are NOT my ads.

 

[Roseandblanche]

Congrats! Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!!

I HIGHLY recommend the buff Orpington. Though they can get broody mine produce eggs fine and are basically the golden retrievers of the chicken world. I absolutely love them cause they are cuddly and will come right up to be held. Perfect for children! Another good breed is the bared Plymouth Rock. They are pretty hardy, docile, and great egg layers. Plus they are really smart. I even trained one of mine to do small tricks for treats They also live pretty long! Mine (Molly) is actually almost 8 years old!

I also agree that you should get more than two. If one passes away you don’t just want to be left with a lonely sad bird. 5 is always a good number to start with but it is definitely a rabbit hole. once you get chickens you become obsessed with them.

You can buy chickens as pullets of maybe around 6-8 weeks so that they are large enough to go outside but still small enough to be able to be imprinted upon. My barred rock was 8 weeks when we got her and she is the sweetest! If you want pullets this age I would look for local farms as hatcheries won’t deliver chicks over a day old usually.

Do you also recommend lavender Orpington? What is the difference other than color?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Do you also recommend lavender Orpington? What is the difference other than color?

There isn’t one, really. Same breed. Just a different color. Although some will say because the Buffs are more popular and have been worked with more they might be very slightly friendlier but I haven’t noticed a difference really. And that shouldn’t be the case especially if you go with a good breeder rather than a hatchery. That said, I had all hatchery birds and had Buff Orp hens and a Lav Orp rooster as well as a Buff Orp cockerel. All were extremely friendly and kind and gentle.

 

[EChicky]

A good place to order chickens from:
https://www.dare2dreamfarms.com/
They do home delivery or they deliver to feed stores and they have all ages of chickens! Additionally their chickens are vaccinated for mareks and other diseases so they will have a higher survival rate. Seeing your coop it does seem small. Maybe 3 chickens would be a good idea.