Chicks at School?

[Cluckn Crazy]

My girls, 4 and 6, want me to bring a couple chicks to school to show to their class. It sounds like the teachers are excited about it. Can I safely take chicks for an hour or two, and at what age is best for the birds. We bring them home tomorrow from the co-op. We're over the top excited!

 

[phaethona]

Are they day old chicks you're getting?
If it were me, I would wait till they're at least 1-2 weeks old, at that age they're still adorable lil fuzzy butts, but they're a little more resillient that a day old chick(I'm assuming the kiddos will want to touch them or pick them up).
I would also keep a light on them so they don't get cold

p.s. I'm super jealous, I want more fuzzy butts!!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I think that's a great opportunity to share your family's knowledge & enjoyment of chickens with other children & adults, also a teachable moment about consideration when it comes to handling small delicate animals. I agree, wait until 2-3 weeks, they'll still be cute fuzzy cheepers but much more durable at that age.

Depending on how cold it is in your area you may/may not need a heat lamp for the time they're in your vehicle and in the classroom, but perhaps you should bring one just in case. Even a desk lamp would be enough for that time.

I would bring a wire cage where the chicks could move about, peck at feed, scratch & bathe in a dish of dirt while the children gather around quietly to watch. You could prepare a brief talk about chickens to give while the children observe the chicks, and let them ask questions afterwards.

Certainly the children will all want to hold the chicks, and that will be a great time to teach them about treating small living animals with consideration. I teach my kids that "kindness to animals means treating them in ways that make them happy, not just you". The temptation is there to squeeze them tight because they're so doggone cute, and to hold them longer than they wish to be held. And that's often when animals bite or scratch to make their wishes known.

Who knows, you may start a trend for backyard chicken keeping with the families of your children's classmates!

 

[Cluckn Crazy]

Thanks for your feedback. Two to three weeks sounds good. I'm also hoping for better weather (a rainy 45F today). I'm still debating if the kids will hold or just observe. Forty kids wanting a turn could be too much. We'll see what kind of chicken mother I am!

 

[BWKatz]

What a great opportunity! I'm so excited for u. What fun to teach something u love to children. Their enjoyment is just as much fun to watch as the fuzzybutts. I am so Jealous! Have fun.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I think they'll do fine once they are a little older. I am generally not one for taking small animals to school, but I'm just overprotective that way. I agree that being handled by that many kids probably is not a good idea. I like Sunny Side Up's idea of setting them up in a nice cage with their heat lamp and enough room to just do their thing and let the kids watch and ask questions.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I have taken chick 12 hours old to fully feathered with out problems
I just have 4 day old (shipped from Ideal) that I took to an out door food and enegery fair, (no extra heat) worked great. the temp was around 50. they where handled all day long.

 

[Jackie B.]

Cluckn Crazy,

I don't know if I'd want 40 different (germy) hands on my new chicks so maybe you can make holding a chick into a game. Have something like a Q & A session and test their chicken knowledge a bit. Soemthing like "what color will the chicks' eggs be?" or "what is a chicken's favorite snack?", or even a best rooster impression. That way you get structered participation and then you can choose the best answers yourself. Being a former teacher myself, kids will do or say just about anything for new stimulation and experiences!

-Jackie

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
You're right, that would be too many kids to allow each of them to hold a chick in their hands. It would take far too much time, and the scope for someone to be hurt or to hurt a chick is too great. Plus there is too much risk for the chick to be stressed or pick up some harmful germs. If all the kids are mannerly perhaps you could have them line up & pass by as YOU hold a chick, and they can give it a gentle stroke with a finger as they file past.

 

[mistyfeather]

I say go for it

one of my friends has been doing that For years with chicks and bunnies, she always takes several chicks so she can rotate them so no one chick gets handled to much. She takes a bottle of hand sanitizer ,and has the classes WASH there hands first and after handling the babies.the chicks always grow up super friendly too.