children around chickens......

[nboyington]

We have 23 chickens.
Our son LOVES to mess with them. Lately, when my husband goes in the coop he wants to go in too.

Is it safe for little ones to be in the coop?

Thanks so much!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Well, if the hens are nice, yes. But if he chases them, it's not good, because it can stress them out. But mainly chickens are very nice birds. (though sometimes young cockerels aren't) Good luck~

 

[CMV]

Pullets and hens are fine fun to chase as long as they are not a revenue source. Stress will put them off-lay. Cockerels, roos and broodies are a different story altogether. A child messes with any of those and they are risking injury. Any male bird will attack children. Roos, toms and ganders can be particularly dangerous, so children should never be left unattended around them.

Good luck.

 

[theoldchick]

I was five when I first saw a chicken. All 50 of them. I was given the very serious job of collecting eggs and making sure they had fresh water. Of course I was supervised by an adult. Unfortunately the first batch were all cockerels except one. So, the egg collecting was not until later.

The cockerels were processed while I was at school and I came home to 25 young pullets. For the longest time I thought cockerels would magically turn into pullets. Anyway, I was allowed to be with the chickens. I was given the responsibility of making sure they were happy. Unfortunately, that sometimes included sneaking one in the house at night, or sneaking out at night to sleep with them. I got into trouble for sneaking out!

For a while I was supervised, and learned how to handle them, how to make sure I didn't get my eyes pecked out. I don't remember chasing the hens, but I could put a rooster on the run if needed. Soon, I was allowed to escort the flock out to pasture where I was the guardian. I was such a serious chicken keeper. Maybe because I was encouraged to do so, with respect to the fickle nature of chickens.

So, my vote is yes. Allow the youngster to mingle with the flock so long he is supervised. Just make sure he behaves properly. You don't mention age, but you know your child. Give him the job of carrying feed, collecting eggs (you may lose a few). Keep him busy doing something. I had to count chickens. Not only did I learn my numbers, I was kept busy doing something. Finding hidden nests was fun, too!

 

[leadwolf1]

I just love this story, thanks for sharing

I was five when I first saw a chicken. All 50 of them. I was given the very serious job of collecting eggs and making sure they had fresh water. Of course I was supervised by an adult. Unfortunately the first batch were all cockerels except one. So, the egg collecting was not until later.

The cockerels were processed while I was at school and I came home to 25 young pullets. For the longest time I thought cockerels would magically turn into pullets. Anyway, I was allowed to be with the chickens. I was given the responsibility of making sure they were happy. Unfortunately, that sometimes included sneaking one in the house at night, or sneaking out at night to sleep with them. I got into trouble for sneaking out!

For a while I was supervised, and learned how to handle them, how to make sure I didn't get my eyes pecked out. I don't remember chasing the hens, but I could put a rooster on the run if needed. Soon, I was allowed to escort the flock out to pasture where I was the guardian. I was such a serious chicken keeper. Maybe because I was encouraged to do so, with respect to the fickle nature of chickens.

So, my vote is yes. Allow the youngster to mingle with the flock so long he is supervised. Just make sure he behaves properly. You don't mention age, but you know your child. Give him the job of carrying feed, collecting eggs (you may lose a few). Keep him busy doing something. I had to count chickens. Not only did I learn my numbers, I was kept busy doing something. Finding hidden nests was fun, too!

 

[leadwolf1]

As for your little one, let him have fun with the chickens while learning to take care of them and respect them. My 8 year old loves playing with the chickens and is quickly becomming a chicken expert. I love giving him the chance to 'sex' birds here on byc. He is getting very good at it!!!

 

[Jersey101]

Got my first chicken for my first birthday, and apparently as a toddler visiting my grandparents my grandad would shut me in the coop with the small breeds while he fed the others XD sounds cruel but I remember doing that myself when I was older. Just shutting myself in their run and sitting petting them lol. So yep, it's safe as long as you don't have an aggressive roo or anything.
Good fun for them, and gets them handling them early, teaches them how to act around animals, helps get the chickens tamed up too. Your child is going to have so much fun growing up with chickens