How do I convince my parents to get me baby chicks?

[ValerieJ]

I am going to be the poster you’d rather not hear from. Most times our parents know best and we need to abide by their decisions. They are able to see the “bigger” picture where maybe you are not able to yet. IMHO I also suspect that they have picked up on clues that you are not quite yet responsible enough to singlehandedly care for living things.

I would continue to work and do things around the house, yard, etc. that show your parents you are becoming a more responsible person. Chickens do take a lot of time and money if you raise them as pets and raise them correctly. Since you do not live on a farm where farm chores are already a given, I would suggest you spend these next few years experiencing life. Like @ChickenCanoe said, you still have a long life ahead. In the meantime, if you are really serious and committed to keeping chickens, do all the research you possibly can do about chicken raising, illnesses, feeding, housing, euthanasia, and so forth. Get a little side job and save every dime you can, even if you don’t need to. There will come a time you’ll be thankful you did all the research and I suspect there will come a time when you’ll be thankful your parents said “No.”

So, let me see if I got this right....you're saying "fuhgettaboutit". Am I right?

 

[Mimi13]

So, let me see if I got this right....you're saying "fuhgettaboutit". Am I right?

Oh my stars, you are correct. Or in other words, “Not today, sista!”

To the OP, I’m not meaning to be mean with what I just said, it’s just a little mid-morning humor.

 

[ValerieJ]

Oh my stars, you are correct. Or in other words, “Not today, sista!”

To the OP, I’m not meaning to be mean with what I just said, it’s just a little mid-morning humor.

I was laughing too. Just hit send before I showed my face. So important to do in these online forums. LOL So here it is: Just a little humor with my coffee.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

I agree with Mimi, as you have witnessed in the past, chickens are a big responsibility to take care of them properly, and an investment. You want to be able to care for, protect, house, feed, and medicate them as needed and that is going to be extremely difficult on your own. They are a much bigger responsibility than a goldfish or hamster, I myself would never have been able to care for them on my own as a teenager, and I suspect your parents know this and are protecting you.

 

[Criticalicious]

Have you considered joining a local 4-H or is there a farm nearby you can volunteer to work for free? Then you can enjoy the fun of chicks and chickens without all of the responsibility.

 

[Essentiallyokanaganmom]

I am going to be the poster you’d rather not hear from. Most times our parents know best and we need to abide by their decisions. They are able to see the “bigger” picture where maybe you are not able to yet. IMHO I also suspect that they have picked up on clues that you are not quite yet responsible enough to singlehandedly care for living things.

I would continue to work and do things around the house, yard, etc. that show your parents you are becoming a more responsible person. Chickens do take a lot of time and money if you raise them as pets and raise them correctly. Since you do not live on a farm where farm chores are already a given, I would suggest you spend these next few years experiencing life. Like @ChickenCanoe said, you still have a long life ahead. In the meantime, if you are really serious and committed to keeping chickens, do all the research you possibly can do about chicken raising, illnesses, feeding, housing, euthanasia, and so forth. Get a little side job and save every dime you can, even if you don’t need to. There will come a time you’ll be thankful you did all the research and I suspect there will come a time when you’ll be thankful your parents said “No.”

This, if you have had them before and they were not enclosed safetly and theres been issues with neighbors your parents sound like they are being responsible and reasonable. I like the suggestion of looking into 4h or seeing if theres a farm that you could volunteer at if showing you can be responsible enough for your own is your goal.

 

[dougieee]

I agree with Mimi, as you have witnessed in the past, chickens are a big responsibility to take care of them properly, and an investment. You want to be able to care for, protect, house, feed, and medicate them as needed and that is going to be extremely difficult on your own. They are a much bigger responsibility than a goldfish or hamster, I myself would never have been able to care for them on my own as a teenager, and I suspect your parents know this and are protecting you.

I hate to bring out the word "millenials" but i have to agree.
Me personally, i begged my folks for a dog from the age of seven, EVERY xmas and birthday, they finally relented on my 11th bday and Jade came into my life with the cost of a years pay that i got for working for my dad at weekends, she stayed by my side through thick and thin till 2 days after my 27th birthday.
(This is related to chickens, honest). In the spring after my 11th bday i built a shed and a coop out of another years wages and began a journey of breeding buff orps and marans that took me up untill i left home at 16, selling the excess pullets and swapping out roos meant the chickens pretty much paid for themselves over the years.
I wouldnt judge someone i dont know but there is so much more hardship than just raising a few cute fluffballs becasue they are only like that for a fraction of their life and imo when your young its hard to see and think past the end of the week.

IF however you are dead set on this, why not think about quail as an option, they are way less invasive on a small area and actually fun and relatively easy to keep

 

[Ebony Rose]

How many chickens are you hoping for? The solution might be as easy as building a 'chicken tractor' (large chicken cage on wheels or skids for easy transport). I recommend finding plans that use pvc tubing as it's considerably less weight than wood, and the hardware cloth can be attached with zip ties. Advantage will be that you can move them daily to reduce the wear and tear on grass and ground. Disadvantage, you actually have to move it to reduce the wear and tear on grass and ground
Your parents might be more agreeable if the chickens you raise are smaller, such as bantams and kikiriki; or if huge eggs are their 'thing', perhaps some production reds or leghorns.
If you call a meeting with your folks on the matter, when you get the expected "no", you might calmly ask them for specific objections, and ask them to discuss with you their expectations of how you can remedy those objections. This one step, might prove enough maturity to have them reconsider. Of course, if you agree do something to overcome their objections, you gotta follow through on the promise.
Best of luck to you... oh and... if you don't mind keeping birds in a cage... and still get eggs to eat... have you considered Japanese coturnix quail? I raise both chickens and quail, and by FAR, quail are easier to maintain and much quieter too.

 

[CHICKSARETHEBEST]

I find that strange too. Did you see excess feathers somewhere? I'm sure it was a predator, just not sure if it was animal, bird or human. So sorry for your loss. That's hard. Good luck.

Once I actually did find several feathers near their favorite spot in my backyard (there were like 30 feathers laying around). Maybe it was a predator, but there aren't any chicken predators in the area I live in.

 

[CHICKSARETHEBEST]

I find that strange too. Did you see excess feathers somewhere? I'm sure it was a predator, just not sure if it was animal, bird or human. So sorry for your loss. That's hard. Good luck.

Once I actually did find several feathers near their favorite spot in my backyard (there were like 30 feathers laying around). Maybe it was a predator, but there aren't any chicken predators in the area I live in.