Children + chickens...advice from a parent please.

[Melissakins]

Quote:
There ya go, when in doubt, pop the kid under a broody hen and she'll make sure the kid has plenty to eat and that no one harasses him/her

 

[Jess N Jeff]

From a nurse....

Expose those kids to as much as you can. Get them vaccinated (I know some are against it...personal choice) and they will be fine.

Problems start when parents try to keep things as sterile as possible and its impossible!!! Your kids immune system developes by exposure not magic.

Unless your chickens have avian flu...they will be ok if your kids play with them.

 

[key west chick]

Get chickens, let your children enjoy chickens. Just wash little hands.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
Sorry to jump off topic, but OMG she is gorgeous and the way she is holding the egg, she knows to be very very careful... how sweet.

Okay back to our regularly scheduled topic....

I ran bare footed, ate bugs, played in the dirt, drank water from a garden hose, and I am now 50 and healthy and best of all still alive.

Ha! Erma Bombeck made the remark in one of her pieces about how a kid will drink off the end of a garden hose and I think kiss the dog on the mouth, but completely freak out if his brother drank out of his glass. Your post reminded me of that.

As to germs and kids, if kids can eat their boogers and live they can play with a chicken, cat, dog, turkey whatever and be just fine!!!

 

[babymakes6]

We don't have a farm, but do have a large garden, chickens, turkeys, cats, and dogs. My children are rarely sick. We do not have a TV, so they spend a LOT of time outside. We also help to milk occasionally (every 1-2 weeks or so) on some friends dairy farm. They get absolutely filthy playing and helping to feed calves, but they are happy AND healthy! I think too many children have allergies and/or health problems because they watch TV and play video games when they are not in school. They have no immune system because they are not exposed to bacteria or viruses at all. We can't live in a sterile world. Get chickens and let your children play with them!

 

[geojane42]

My son ate goose poo when he was 6 months old and lived to tell the tale.

There's a great bumper sticker that says "Kids who hunt, fish and camp don't mug little old ladies." I suspect that kids who have parents who take the time to teach them how to care for animals, where their food comes from, and introduce them to hard work probably don't either.... and I'd bet that they're also healthier than their junk food consuming, video game playing, hand sanitizing counterparts.

Infants and toddlers who spend their days in daycare are the ones who are really exposed to nasty cooties. I seriously wouldn't worry about chickens. Compared to toddlers, chickens look like scrubbed surgeons. See the thread on 'kids are gross' for more details than you'd ever want to know about how gross teenagers are.... might turn you off the whole idea of children all together though.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I don't have kids, but from my own personal experience with the birds...

I ate, stomped, jumped and played in the chicken pen. I'd eat my sandwiches in there watching them scrabble over the food I dropped. I held a chicken in my lap while I ate my cheetos. Reddy loved those cheetos.

I didn't die from what I was exposed to in there, but have decided I'm going to have my kids do the same thing if they want to!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I have the healthiest kids I know of personally, but exposure is only part of it.....I have to take credit for the rest. You know....handling problems in a timely manner. Don't allow a cold to become bronchitis.
As to the combination. I say keep the kids healthy and keep the chickens healthy. Immunize them both. Keep the feeders clean, etc.
They will learn what they live anyway. And that is more true than you can imagine.
If you like chickens, they will see the importance in them also.
But I would be more concerned with safety. My small children CAN'T go in the coop alone. I won't allow it EVER. We can talk about bad roosters and good roosters......they are roosters and eventually you are asking for trouble if you try mixing them with small children. They go in, make sure you have them by the hand and you are watching close. Some roosters are truely bad and have to be done in, but I would say most of the time, if a parent looks back honestly, they would have to admit that their child wouldn't have been attacked if they wouldn't have had access to the rooster's quarters or if they had been watched closely.
It is a coop; not a playground. It can be a fun place, but kids need to be watched in there. Thats my 2 cents on the matter.

 

[redhen]

My mother grew up on a farm.. they played with all the critters. Chicks and chickens included...
Believe it or not...they all survived their childhood..even after handling the chickens and even after drinking raw milk from their cows...

Dont stress about it..

 

[PotterWatch]

I wouldn't be at all worried about it. My kids wash their hands when they come in from being outside, regardless if they were handling chickens or not. We also drink raw milk and eat raw honey. I think it makes them healthier.

On a side note, I see that you live in rancho cucamonga. We are having a meet-up at my house in Pomona this Saturday if you would like to come and meet some other chicken people. PM me if you are interested and I will give you my address and details on the meet-up.