Best chicken for little kids?

[LlamaGirl4]

Until you see a kid down on the ground with a rooster spurring her face. This has nothing to do with sterile. Or a bubble. I don't let my
kids play in the road just because I've never seen a speeding car go by. And we aren't talking about kids who've been brought up around chickens we're talking about kids who probably have no idea. If they have chickens at home why go to the park. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Btw it’ll be all hens so no roos spurring kids face but I get the concern

 

[LlamaGirl4]

Until you see a kid down on the ground with a rooster spurring her face. This has nothing to do with sterile. Or a bubble. I don't let my
kids play in the road just because I've never seen a speeding car go by. And we aren't talking about kids who've been brought up around chickens we're talking about kids who probably have no idea. If they have chickens at home why go to the park. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

ETA: would you let a bunch of kids you don't know come and handle your chickens. What if the kid is sick? Or your birds is sick and you don't know it yet.

Well why would the kid be out and about if it was sick? I’m hoping parents are responsible enough.
Chickens will be checked upon my my mom who is a livestock and poultry vet weekly

 

[ShannonR]

Until you see a kid down on the ground with a rooster spurring her face. This has nothing to do with sterile. Or a bubble. I don't let my
kids play in the road just because I've never seen a speeding car go by. And we aren't talking about kids who've been brought up around chickens we're talking about kids who probably have no idea. If they have chickens at home why go to the park. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

ETA: would you let a bunch of kids you don't know come and handle your chickens. What if the kid is sick? Or your birds is sick and you don't know it yet.

Yes, I absolutely would let someone else's kids come handle my chickens. I firmly believe that the benefits outweigh the risks, particularly if the children are supervised at the time. Chickens are a joy that I will not deprive children of. Yeah, it's a biosecurity risk, but so is having kids at the end of the day.

How many times have you seen a small child reach down, pluck something random off the ground, and shove it in their mouths, all in that half second before you can utter "what's that?" That will get a kid sick, or even injured as well. Falling down in the rain and getting a mouth full of mud, same thing. Life itself is risky.... try to enjoy it anyway!

 

[Acre4Me]

Btw it’ll be all hens so no roos spurring kids face but I get the concern

Having a rooster would be great for the plumage, the visual and the crowing...but, rooster should only ever be in a run... in a see/enjoy format - no touch, because you just never know. But, all depends on the final set-up and goals.

 

[Chickassan]

You know the biggest hen always squishes into the smallest spot...chicken logic.

Your birds are gorgeous. I am about to talk myself into some Brahmas, BUT I didn’t make my nest boxes larges enough, just the normal 12x12x12. That breed wasn’t on my radar when I built my coop.

 

[Notaneggspurt]

If the park is in Ohio I would strongly recommend a cold hearty breed. Feathered legs can also be a problem in damp areas. I would strongly recommend starting with a breed that is best suited for your climate. Then narrow down your choices from what is available locally from a reputable breeder that has experience in how well they do through the seasons and at different stages of life. Congratulations on getting something like this brought up with your community! And it's great so much discussion and planning is going in to it. Even if it doesn't end up happening right away you've opened the "coop door" to others (park committee).

I do see the possibility of this being a great educational experience. There have been great points brought up regarding bio security and general welfare of people and chickens.

Will they be NPIP certified? I strongly suggest doing a search for CDC live poultry salmonella. This is not to discourage but to stress the importance of being able to locate sources of outbreaks and to hopefully help protect the flock of they aren't a source. Does local ordinances allow for something like this? I'm not sure if this has been brought up with the planning. How long do they plan on investing in this? Who will pay for the feed, bedding, housing maintenance and medical care? With the lifespan of well cared for chickens being anywhere from 5-10 years have budget considerations been made for the long term? As well as the different stages of life? Are they willing to close access to the public during molt, broodiness and illness? And where will the poop go? It would be awesome if there was a community garden that would use it for compost!

This thread has kind of turned into a single question in seek of an answer to bringing about a flood of more questions. I hope it hasn't discouraged you. I hope it's helped to get as much information as possible so it can happen. With all the input from others regarding bio security, long term care, potential risks for the public and chickens, planning for the worst should be part of the process. If this is something you're committed to, see it through with eyes wide open and as much information as possible to educate others. Have your team, not just those signing off for approval all on the same page. If there's a local 4H group, get them involved. See if there's been any others that have done something like this and get their input. If you are passionate about this then stick with it. Best of luck with this!

 

[Alexandra33]

So sad there has to be concern about liability in this situation. People should understand the dangers of illness from any type of animal (there's just as great a risk you'll become infected by dog or cat bites/scratches), and therefore be responsible for deciding to expose their children. Still don't understand the need to sue the pants off everyone for things like this.

Not only that, but as mentioned earlier, I don't consider poultry any "dirtier" than other creatures. Think of rabies threat from some mammals. Healthy youngsters (those with compromised immune systems being the exception) aren't normally going to become sick after handling chickens. As a nation, we aren't exposed to enough outdoor germs, hence why so many catch every sniffle. Farm children who spend time in the mud and kissing birds are probably among the least likely to contract diseases from animals, since their immune systems are tested in daily life. My 3 and 5-year-old brothers next to never get sick, and you know why I think that is? Because they spend most of their time outside, snuggling our chickens/ducks/turkeys, practically rolling in dirt, and doing what kids thrive on. Keep in mind, this is not to say we should throw caution to the wind, but simply that worrying about every single germ won't solve anything. In the end, it could even result in a child with little immunity.

~Alex

 

[LlamaGirl4]

If the park is in Ohio I would strongly recommend a cold hearty breed. Feathered legs can also be a problem in damp areas. I would strongly recommend starting with a breed that is best suited for your climate. Then narrow down your choices from what is available locally from a reputable breeder that has experience in how well they do through the seasons and at different stages of life. Congratulations on getting something like this brought up with your community! And it's great so much discussion and planning is going in to it. Even if it doesn't end up happening right away you've opened the "coop door" to others (park committee).

I do see the possibility of this being a great educational experience. There have been great points brought up regarding bio security and general welfare of people and chickens.

Will they be NPIP certified? I strongly suggest doing a search for CDC live poultry salmonella. This is not to discourage but to stress the importance of being able to locate sources of outbreaks and to hopefully help protect the flock of they aren't a source. Does local ordinances allow for something like this? I'm not sure if this has been brought up with the planning. How long do they plan on investing in this? Who will pay for the feed, bedding, housing maintenance and medical care? With the lifespan of well cared for chickens being anywhere from 5-10 years have budget considerations been made for the long term? As well as the different stages of life? Are they willing to close access to the public during molt, broodiness and illness? And where will the poop go? It would be awesome if there was a community garden that would use it for compost!

This thread has kind of turned into a single question in seek of an answer to bringing about a flood of more questions. I hope it hasn't discouraged you. I hope it's helped to get as much information as possible so it can happen. With all the input from others regarding bio security, long term care, potential risks for the public and chickens, planning for the worst should be part of the process. If this is something you're committed to, see it through with eyes wide open and as much information as possible to educate others. Have your team, not just those signing off for approval all on the same page. If there's a local 4H group, get them involved. See if there's been any others that have done something like this and get their input. If you are passionate about this then stick with it. Best of luck with this!

Thanks @Notaneggspurt!
The parks have run it through several places to make sure they are certified and allowed to do something like this. As long as they get checked on by a vet frequently and are notified from where the chicks are from to check on things they said go ahead!
In the spring we are going to do a fundraiser for help with building a coop and supplies. We will be discussing this more tonight I think at another meeting so I’ll have more info.
If this works we plan on keeping the birds as long as they live. If it doesn’t work out then someone will have to take them. I could take the BOs or I could try another breed.
I will talk tonight at the meeting about have 4H coming and learning And helping out. That way also if they plan on taking chickens to shows then they can practice with our birds (carefully of course)
Thanks for bringing up the poop actually we have that nailed but I forgot to mention it!
There is a local public garden not far from this park and someone at the meeting owns a compost business and said they can take some poop to the garden and then bring some back to the compost business.
Tonight I’ll ask if we should have a separate coop for quarantine that can be away from people. Also people won’t be able to go in the coop or run, only workers. I think maybe I answered a lot of those questions? Sorry if I missed some

 

[Alexandra33]

Yes, I absolutely would let someone else's kids come handle my chickens. I firmly believe that the benefits outweigh the risks, particularly if the children are supervised at the time. Chickens are a joy that I will not deprive children of. Yeah, it's a biosecurity risk, but so is having kids at the end of the day.

How many times have you seen a small child reach down, pluck something random off the ground, and shove it in their mouths, all in that half second before you can utter "what's that?" That will get a kid sick, or even injured as well. Falling down in the rain and getting a mouth full of mud, same thing. Life itself is risky.... try to enjoy it anyway!

 

[ShannonR]

So sad there has to be concern about liability in this situation. People should understand the dangers of illness from any type of animal (there's just as great a risk you'll become infected by dog or cat bites/scratches), and therefore be responsible for deciding to expose their children. Still don't understand the need to sue the pants off everyone for things like this.

Not only that, but as mentioned earlier, I don't consider poultry any "dirtier" than other creatures. Think of rabies threat from some mammals. Healthy youngsters (those with compromised immune systems being the exception) aren't normally going to become sick after handling chickens. As a nation, we aren't exposed to enough outdoor germs, hence why so many catch every sniffle. Farm children who spend time in the mud and kissing birds are probably among the least likely to contract diseases from animals, since their immune systems are tested in daily life. My 3 and 5-year-old brothers next to never get sick, and you know why I think that is? Because they spend most of their time outside, snuggling our chickens/ducks/turkeys, practically rolling in dirt, and doing what kids thrive on. Keep in mind, this is not to say we should throw caution to the wind, but simply that worrying about every single germ won't solve anything. In the end, it could even result in a child with little immunity.

~Alex

Love the point you made about building immunities in children, I think of it the same way!