I am a kid trying to convice his parents to have chickens! Please help!

You're old enough to be on here right?

Anyway's,
You can tell them you get free eggs, so it'll help keep their expenses down,
They eat bugs and mosquitos so they'll be seeing less of those,
They're easy to replace.

You have to prove to them that they won't disrupt you're schoolwork. Do you have any other pets?

 

First off is do you have enough space to house chickens? How many chickens do you want to get and what breed? Are you allowed to have chickens were you live? Does your parents make enough income to properly care for them, Do you have the time and patience to train and care for your new members of the family. Those are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself and find out. The best reason would be the money they would save on eggs and the enjoyment of watching them grow and interact with the family.

 

Are you willing to do what it takes to keep them safe and healthy year round, including the hottest summer days and the coldest winter days, which, in the winter includes shoveling snow to their coop and a space for them to get outside, taking water out to them multiple times/day when their water freezes (assuming that you live in an area with cold winters?) Are you willing to shovel chicken poop? Treat them for mites if they get mites? Will your parents pay for their feed and upkeep, or will you? How many do you want, will you sell eggs? If you can answer these questions and you and your parents are comfortable with the answers, it would be a great learning experience for you, and may turn into a life time passion. I hatched my first 4 chicks (bantams) in the school incubator in the 6th grade. Thankfully, my dad helped to foster my passion by building a nice coop, and helping me to learn. If you are able to succeed in getting your parents to let you have a small flock... you might want to spend time learning all you can, so you'll be ready to jump in feet first in the spring... I want to give you a challenge: Start a BYC thread for youngsters. I believe that one of the rules on the BYC forum is that youngsters don't disclose their age, but, it would be nice for a thread for young folks, perhaps the "under 20 crowd".

 

Well, the best way, is if you can reuse something you already have...... such as dog run and dog house. Then you can tell your parents, it won't such a big investment. You can buy a roll of chicken wire, and cover the lower edge of the run, to keep chicks in. and the outside ground to keep predators from digging in. Over the top, to keep predators from flying in. Put the dog house up on a platform, add some ventilation, add a roost and some nests and your are in business. DO NOT BUY those cutesy chicken coops sold in stores. I do not think they are sturdy enough, have enough ventilation, or space.

Think of it as pets with benefits. Everyone loves fresh eggs. It is a fun hobby, you can join 4-H and show, or the local poultry club and show. It can be a life time hobby.

I would recommend starting with 3 hens, unless you have a larger family than 4-5 people. Eggs add up quick. Small flocks cost less in feed. Go out to your yard and decide where you could put a coop/run. Measure off the area. If you don't have enough space, pick a different hobby as not enough space is the cause for most of the problems with chickens.

Now if your family likes a garden, sell the idea of how rich chicken manure is...... but know that you will need a compost area because you must age the manure before you apply it. I have seen really nice layouts, where the chicken house is set up, so that durning the winter you turn into the garden area, so the birds do the clean up for you. Drastically reduces insects in the garden.

Tell your folks, that when you get extra eggs, you can give them to co workers or neighbors as a treat. I do that often, if someone does me a favor at work, I will send them a dozen or half a dozen of fresh eggs. People love it.

Tell them as a middle school/high school teacher, I know that students with a productive hobby, (rather than a non-productive hobby such as video games) are healthier both physically and mentally. They can meet people with similar interests.

Good Luck

Mrs K

 

Idk if you'll want them but get quail instead there smaller and they also give eggs daily

 

Well you gave it a try, Try again in a few weeks maybe they will change there mind. Get good grades in school and use that as a incentive to get your birds.

 

Sorry to hear that- I'm a teen too, and I had to convince my parents to let me get my birds. The one thing that I've found to work is making a presentation. Spend time researching chickens and collecting information in a notebook. Then turn it into some kind of presentation, wether it be on poster board or a PowerPoint- doesn't matter. Make sure you really know everything you need to give the birds a great life and to be prepared for any challenges along the way (trust me, there will be a lot). The information everyone has been giving you here on this thread is a great place to start. Good luck with your chicken venture!

 

Another thing you can do is get a job mowing lawns or something to make some cash to show your parrents you are willing to help pay for your birds and there needs.