Children and chicken chores? :o)

[Wildsky]

My kids take a small part, 9 year old and 5 year old, the 5 year old collects eggs with GUSTO and loves to sprinkle scratch around.

the 9 year old can fill the feeder, check for eggs, check waterer etc.

I don't let them clean as yet - its a dirty dusty job and well I just do it faster.

 

[allisojo]

I'm a dad, and my 2 & 1/2 - year-old loves to help collecting eggs (he hasn't dropped one yet) and also tossing scratch to them and giving them other treats. We have only ladies, and he has his favorites. ("Golden [our EE] is so beautiful," he'll say.)

I got rid of our cockerel when he started flogging me when I entered the coop. Just couldn't take the chance that he'd turn on my son, which I think was inevitable. My son isn't big enough to help with cleaning and actually makes as much of a mess as the girls, but we have a ball together. He also loves spreading their bedding around in the winter. Have fun!

 

[me&thegals]

They name the roosters (too many hens to count), help collect eggs when they're home, feed them treats, socialize and play with the chickens, teach their friends and younger cousins how to collect eggs carefully, sometimes wash the eggs.

 

[FunnyFarmer]

My eight-year-old son feeds the chickens in the mornings, and sometimes I send him out to get eggs. He used to be allowed to sell eggs & keep the money, but he had to do more of the chicken chores & clean the coop once a week. He griped about it too much, so now I do the chores & keep the egg money!

 

[baldie]

My 10 year old helps with the feeding and so forth and my 4 year old loves to gather the eggs and also we sell our eggs and these ones we wash and the 4 year old helps to put them in the cartons!! He calls this "his job" and he better not catch anyone else putting eggs into the cartons!

 

[Its Just Us Chickens]

7 & 9 feed and water the chickens and collect eggs, and close up the coop at night. Actually the do most of the work, and love it. My 3 year old does what he wants when he wants. I have to remind them to throw scratch out in the yard and not on the steps, and they still put it on the front steps half the time. I either open the front door and trip over chickens or step in poop.
The more disgusting parts of chicken raising I do myself, like shoveling out there coop. But my kids have allergies and asthma so I don't really want them around when that's being done.

 

[Lucky Ducky]

I would say it depends on how responsible they are. Mine are 7, 5 and 1. The older two feed, water and collect eggs. Not every day because of school and their chickens are up the hill behind their Ma's (greatgrandma) house. When we move out to our place, after our well and septic are done, they will be feeding and watering them before they leave for school. They will be supervised by me though. We're going to have too many roosters to not supervise them.

I must say the meanest rooster we have ever had was also the smallest!!

 

[katrinag]

I have 3 kids, 9,6,and 2. Every other morning the older kids rotate who are in chrage of feed and water in the morning. My 2 year old and I go out and gather eggs 2-10x a day. He know what his job is. He loves to go right over and get the eggs. Kisses each one then put them in the basket.
Both older kids also help clean the coop and give baths to any of the chickens.

As far as culling only the older ones get to help.

 

[Buster]

My four year old goes out each morning and lets the chickens out and checks the food and water. I go out with my 4 and 2 yo's and help them collect eggs.

 

[CovenantCreek]

I'm sure my 5 yr old would love it if I'd let her do more with/for the chickens, but the rooster has it in for her so there isn't much she can do on her own. If the roo gets rehomed that may change.