How much can chicks take?

[eggsited chickens]

I have a 7 yr old boy and 33- 11 week old chiceks. They are scared of my son for good reason...He chases them around the run with his arms spread wide. If he actually catches one, he doesn't just hang onto it, but jumps around with it, swings it around and when he puts them down, he doesn't just 'put it down' but kind of throws it.

Any body else out there who have kids that are 'wild' with the chicks? I don't want them scared of us, but what he does, I'd be scared of him!

 

[bantiesrule]

7 years old is too old to be acting like that. Teach your kid to respect living creatures. If he can't treat them nice, don't let him near them.

 

[Katy_didnot]

It seems inevitable that he will kill or hurt one of them. Why don't you just keep him out of the run? Put a lock on it if you have to.

 

[eggsited chickens]

ok, I didn't know if this was normal for a 7 yr old or not...he's my only child...

 

[Katy_didnot]

My youngest is 5 and he is very nice to the chickens. If your son doesn't know how to treat them, then this is your opportunity to teach him. Some kids are much more rambunctous than others, but having pets is a good way to teach them empathy. I would supervise him with them till he understands how to act with them and what is acceptable, and don't accept any other treatment from him. He is definately old enough to treat them nicely.

 

[eggsited chickens]

Ok, would you allow him to catch them like he does if he holds them ok? What is the 'proper' way to catch them? It's like they are running for their lives when he tries.

 

[Chickenmaven]

If your neighbor lady came over & acted like that, I bet you'd call the cops! Your child is abusive. I don't care if he is your only child. You should be able to indentify offensive behavior. Your kid is begging for you to step in and parent!

My son was a wild little thing from 5 - 8. DH & I had to tag team him. We monitored his behavior & made sure he didn't have enough freedom to hurt himself or others. He is 17 now & a fine young man. Kids have alot of energy. It MUST be directed.

 

[lesterlu]

i agree with Katy. what a great reply. this is a great character building opportunity but careful with the chicks cause these moments of interaction will alter the type of chickens they will turn out to be. they deserve the same gentleness that all babies need. maybe very short super-supervised exposure with one chick at a time would be better. if that doesnt work, maybe he could start supervised learning of empathy and gentleness on a bigger patient adult animal.


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[cafarmgirl]

I made it very clear to my kids when they were growing up that there would be absolutely NO behavior that hurt or frightened any of my animals. I taught them that it was our duty to make sure our animals were safe and cared for and that they should feel safe in our presence.

My 8 year old son helped me raise 8 chicks this spring from brooder to coop and did much of the feeding, watering etc. He handled them very gently and today even the rooster can be picked up and carried around.

As far as catching and holding yours right now? I would wait on that. Start from the beginning. Sit quietly with them and offer treats until they are more comforable with you and your sons presence. Then you can start slowly gathering them up and let one sit on your or your son's lap. The key word here is GENTLY! Hold and stroke them gently for just a moment and then let them go before they get scared. If they are panicky go back to step one with sitting with them and offering treats. The experience has to be good for them or they will continue to be frightened.

 

[Katy_didnot]

Mine are also about 11 weeks old and they don't like to be held. Once in a while I can scoop one up, but they aren't impressed.
They do like to eat out of our hands though, and come running if they think we have treats. If it were me, I think I would teach him to feed them that way and let that be his interaction with them. It may take time for them to trust you and you may not get them to come close for awhile. But throw some food for them and give them some room and take it a little at a time. This is a great opportunity to teach him self control AND to make him feel proud of himself for the accomplishment. I would praise the heck out of his attempts at making friends with them, and tell him what a good boy and what a big boy he is for being nice to them. Remind him that that they are little and he is a very big boy. I find that it works better than just scolding, although you may have to correct him and remind him as well, I would try to do it calmly. This is such a great way to teach him how to be friends with animals, which will serve him well in other areas too.