Hi AF!
We homeschool our 3 kids too. I pursuaded my husband, against his better judgment, to let me "raise a few meat birds for 6 weeks and then it will be all done so the kids can see where their chicken comes from". I got into more than I bargained for, for a number of reasons. First of all I ordered from Ideal and since the birds hatch date was February 26, it would be cold when they arrived and so instead of six I decided to order 8, figuring that a couple wouldn't make it. They sent a couple spares bringing the total up to 10 and then filled the rest of the space with "chicken peanuts" and sent along 6 lovely golden laced cochin males. They arrived the day after hatch and all lived. So my 6 birds suddenly expanded to 16. My husband laughed at me. Things went along pretty well until one of the little cochins was injured by one of the kids and his buddies "took him out" --- at 2 weeks. Who would have thought that 2 week old chickies could be that mean. So, speaking of homeschool lessons, we got to talk about the value of animal life versus the value of human life and normal animal behaviors and how we could not "punish those bad birds" because they were doing what birds do. We have also got to talk about how chickens get in the egg to begin with--a very fertile topic (pun intended).
So you see there is so much you can teach your kids from chickens.
Oh, and did I mention the biggest lesson of all? Mom is not perfect...oh yah, I neglected to mention one small detail...we have deed restrictions in our neighborhood.
You see, Mom willfully (and gleefully) ordered those chickens knowing she would have to hide them in the garage the whole time they were growing, never realizing that having "warmer birds" would really throw a wrench into my well laid plans. Fortunately, my folks have a ranch in South Texas and they have taken them to live there until they are big enough to grace the dinner table. Unfortunately, we have grown quite attached to those 5 cochins. Any one have any success in getting an exemption for deed restrictions?
So there is my homeschooling experience with chickens. I am dying to have some more. Maybe my DH will get a job transfer. This time I will make sure it is some where I can have birds.
--Bird
We homeschool our 3 kids too. I pursuaded my husband, against his better judgment, to let me "raise a few meat birds for 6 weeks and then it will be all done so the kids can see where their chicken comes from". I got into more than I bargained for, for a number of reasons. First of all I ordered from Ideal and since the birds hatch date was February 26, it would be cold when they arrived and so instead of six I decided to order 8, figuring that a couple wouldn't make it. They sent a couple spares bringing the total up to 10 and then filled the rest of the space with "chicken peanuts" and sent along 6 lovely golden laced cochin males. They arrived the day after hatch and all lived. So my 6 birds suddenly expanded to 16. My husband laughed at me. Things went along pretty well until one of the little cochins was injured by one of the kids and his buddies "took him out" --- at 2 weeks. Who would have thought that 2 week old chickies could be that mean. So, speaking of homeschool lessons, we got to talk about the value of animal life versus the value of human life and normal animal behaviors and how we could not "punish those bad birds" because they were doing what birds do. We have also got to talk about how chickens get in the egg to begin with--a very fertile topic (pun intended).
Oh, and did I mention the biggest lesson of all? Mom is not perfect...oh yah, I neglected to mention one small detail...we have deed restrictions in our neighborhood.
So there is my homeschooling experience with chickens. I am dying to have some more. Maybe my DH will get a job transfer. This time I will make sure it is some where I can have birds.
--Bird
