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?

 

[SourRoses]

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'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but this ^ is not really a thing.
A chicken that is chased will run! And the next time they will run sooner and run faster.
If you want your chickens to be tame enough to handle, you can't allow children (or anyone) to chase them.
Instead, you can lure them in with treats. But the amount of petting most chickens will tolerate is limited. And if it's done too tricky multiple times (like they have a bad / uncomfortable / scary experience) they will wisen up and not even come in for treats.

The best kind of pet for little humans is a dog. As I'm sure you must know, dogs can still lose their cool and not be okay with kids if they have been tormented. But that's the most patient creature you will find. A bird is not nearly the same.
Occasionally, a chicken will come along who just happens to like humans. It's a combination of their natural personality and a keeper who lets animals come to them, patiently, and lets them leave the second they show any sign of wanting to go.
If your kids don't have the patience and self-control for that, then even the best chicken in the whole world is going to choose self-preservation and maintaining her dignity over socializing with humans.
I hope this helps you consider what you want out of your chicken journey. Please make sure the minimum number of hens you keep is 3, for important flock dynamics reasons (imagine being stuck with only one person to talk to the rest of your life!). They need friends plural.

 

[Roseandblanche]

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but this ^ is not really a thing.
A chicken that is chased will run! And the next time they will run sooner and run faster.
If you want your chickens to be tame enough to handle, you can't allow children (or anyone) to chase them.
Instead, you can lure them in with treats. But the amount of petting most chickens will tolerate is limited. And if it's done too tricky multiple times (like they have a bad / uncomfortable / scary experience) they will wisen up and not even come in for treats.

The best kind of pet for little humans is a dog. As I'm sure you must know, dogs can still lose their cool and not be okay with kids if they have been tormented. But that's the most patient creature you will find. A bird is not nearly the same.
Occasionally, a chicken will come along who just happens to like humans. It's a combination of their natural personality and a keeper who lets animals come to them, patiently, and lets them leave the second they show any sign of wanting to go.
If your kids don't have the patience and self-control for that, then even the best chicken in the whole world is going to choose self-preservation and maintaining her dignity over socializing with humans.
I hope this helps you consider what you want out of your chicken journey. Please make sure the minimum number of hens you keep is 3, for important flock dynamics reasons (imagine being stuck with only one person to talk to the rest of your life!). They need friends plural.

Good points about not forcing the chickens to come to you-will definitely teach the kids space and boundaries with the chickens!

Yes I will get 3. We don’t just want them as pets but also for eggs. If they are friendly and like to be held that will be a bonus!

 

[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]

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.

 

[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.

 

[Roseandblanche]

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.

View attachment 3792193View attachment 3792192View attachment 3792191View attachment 3792190

Thank you so much for this information I really really appreciate it

 

[wrathsfarm]

Yes thank you is there a place on this website that can direct me to a reputable source to buy chickens from in my area (aside from Craig’s list) I thought I had found one but then when I read the yelp reviews it was not so great

Chicken Hatcheries near Oceanside, Ca.
https://www.google.com/search?q=chi...-tmus-us-revc&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

 

[wrathsfarm]

What you could also do is post that question in your state thread that @cavemanrich linked for you. And post that you are "Looking for a reputable hatchery near Oceanside for started pullets". Maybe there's lots of locals in there that can give you the good, bad and ugly of any hatcheries near you.
Or you might even find someone that has some they are selling.