Seriously, I love my chickens. My 2 light brahma pullets have really given me lots to smile about the last 4 weeks. We had to wait to get the rest of the babies from the hatchery until this week and our 4 baby chicks are at my friends house with hers until I go pick them up this weekend. I wasn't sure I'd really be into this raising chickens thing. I thought maybe I'd be too nervous around them and not be able to handle them. It was so much to learn!
My daughter and I decided to do this as a project together. She is almost 10 years old and for the last 5 years she has stated she wants to be a vetrinarian (although her sights are set on animal rescue including exotic animals.) I signed up for 4H with her recently too.
At first we were all confused.
Even my male cat, Jake, thought he was a mother hen for awhile
As they got older and fuzzier they also got more of their own personalities.
After lots of experimenting by mom (me) with food I finally found out they don't like wet or mushy food like yogurt and applesauce but they sure do love grapes and eggs! They really have come to trust me. They still don't like being picked up because they are scared of being chased down, but once they are held they are settled quickly and happy. They come to me if I sit quietly and patiently.
My daughter, Madison, who has Asperger's Syndrome (a high functioning form of autism) has also had to learn to sit still and be quiet and patient. It was a hard task for her to move so slowly, carefully, and quietly, but she has been doing excellent.
She gets rewarded with their attention and that makes all the effort worth it.
I enjoy watching them eat, play, and explore. They often offer fun photo ops like this.
I'm often rewarded for my dilligence with sweet cuddles too. It feels good to know an animal, naturally skittish and sensitive due to predators, trusts me.
And we can all enjoy the sunshine together and even have a little nap. Oh, the poop on my shirt you ask? Well what's a little poop amongst friends.
Thank you BYC for providing so much insight and sharing so much of your own chicken stories.
My daughter and I decided to do this as a project together. She is almost 10 years old and for the last 5 years she has stated she wants to be a vetrinarian (although her sights are set on animal rescue including exotic animals.) I signed up for 4H with her recently too.
At first we were all confused.
Even my male cat, Jake, thought he was a mother hen for awhile
As they got older and fuzzier they also got more of their own personalities.
After lots of experimenting by mom (me) with food I finally found out they don't like wet or mushy food like yogurt and applesauce but they sure do love grapes and eggs! They really have come to trust me. They still don't like being picked up because they are scared of being chased down, but once they are held they are settled quickly and happy. They come to me if I sit quietly and patiently.
My daughter, Madison, who has Asperger's Syndrome (a high functioning form of autism) has also had to learn to sit still and be quiet and patient. It was a hard task for her to move so slowly, carefully, and quietly, but she has been doing excellent.
She gets rewarded with their attention and that makes all the effort worth it.
I enjoy watching them eat, play, and explore. They often offer fun photo ops like this.
I'm often rewarded for my dilligence with sweet cuddles too. It feels good to know an animal, naturally skittish and sensitive due to predators, trusts me.
And we can all enjoy the sunshine together and even have a little nap. Oh, the poop on my shirt you ask? Well what's a little poop amongst friends.
Thank you BYC for providing so much insight and sharing so much of your own chicken stories.