Baby chicks and children

[NEOR7289]

Our family just picked up our first 6 little cuties last Saturday. My question is can my 3 year old hold them. He is itching to get his hands on them as he is watching his older brothers do it. I'm only asking because the paper that they gave me says not to let children under 5 hold them. I called the doctor and he told me to get rid of them that they are not safe... I make sure my older 2 use antibacterial wash before and after holding them. Is it safe for my little guy to get his grips on one???

 

[NEOR7289]

Sorry I put this question in the wrong spot

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Nope, you are fine posting this question here.

You can let them hold the babies, however do not let them kiss the babies and make sure they wash their hands after handling them. The babies can carry salmonella right after hatching. This wears off the feathers eventually and no longer poses a threat. But for new babies, never kiss them and always wash your hands after handing them.

And hold them is good. Gets them used to be touched and held and it helps them to bond to you quicker.

Enjoy your new babies and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Welcome to our flock!

 

[gander007]

Welcome to BYC!

Nope, you are fine posting this question here.

You can let them hold the babies, however do not let them kiss the babies and make sure they wash their hands after handling them. The babies can carry salmonella right after hatching. This wears off the feathers eventually and no longer poses a threat. But for new babies, never kiss them and always wash your hands after handing them.

And hold them is good. Gets them used to be touched and held and it helps them to bond to you quicker.

Enjoy your new babies and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Welcome to our flock!

X 2



Alright

great to have you joining the BYC flock

Always have them wash their hands before and after handling chicks

gander007

 

[GAFarmGirl87]

Welcome to the community! Glad to have you!

 

[Blooie]

Our family just picked up our first 6 little cuties last Saturday. My question is can my 3 year old hold them. He is itching to get his hands on them as he is watching his older brothers do it. I'm only asking because the paper that they gave me says not to let children under 5 hold them. I called the doctor and he told me to get rid of them that they are not safe... I make sure my older 2 use antibacterial wash before and after holding them. Is it safe for my little guy to get his grips on one???

Funny how different doctors are. When we got our chicks, the older grandkids (both aged 8, cousins, not brother and sister) decided that they wanted the baby to see them first - they were so excited about seeing her reaction to them. But I hesitated, let the older two see them first, and had her mom call the doctor because there was a possibility she'd be facing surgery the next week - nurse said it probably wouldn't be a good idea. But later on the doctor himself called back and said, "Let that baby see those chicks!" His feeling was that as long as we cleaned her hands well, she'd be fine. She's two and a half, but Kendra has Spina Bifida. As hard as we try, there are some things that she gets left out of on occasion, and her doctor knows this full well. He said we've done a fantastic job introducing her to new things so far and he didn't see the chicks any differently. She enjoyed seeing them, was a little uncertain with holding one when it flapped it's wings, but it was love at first sight. A little supervision and some soap and water and it was all good!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. It's fine for him to hold the chick as long as he washes afterward - better if you wash his hands for him. A bigger problem is that smaller children tend to squeeze chicks too hard and can seriously injure them. Monitor all handling very closely.