Making children accountable for chicken chores

[jcatblum]

Any tips on making your kids accountable for feeding & watering, etc?

Told my kids if they do they work then they can have the $$$ for egg & chick sales. Most days it takes LOTS of reminders & me checking pens 3 or more times to remind them of other things that were not done. I can do all chicken chores in 1 hour, if you add am &pm. We have 75+ birds & right now 4 pens.

My girls are 11 & 13.

We have tried them each being responsible for their own pens, half way worked for the 11 yr old. Didn't work @ all for the 13. These are kids that have worked their whole lives. Had a HUGE newspaper route (over $1000 a month take home) that mom & dad helped them with. We have 6 rental properties so they have always helped with clean outs & repairs. Work isnt something new. They wanted the birds & the $$$$. When we moved they had to give up the paper route & wanted to still have a good amount of $$$ each month (1 girl spends the other saves). They are having a hard time doing the work. Feel like DH & I are working harder than them!

Any thoughts? And no I don't think I am asking too much of them, it is just like if they had a dog in town, would take an hour a day to feed, walk, brush, scoop poop. Plus they wouldn't be getting income for the dog!

 

[redhen]

Sounds like you need to set some simple guideline and if they dont follow them, then you NEED to follow through with the consequenses.
Are the kids supposed to be doing the chores? Is that what they said when they asked for the birds? If so, they need to do them, and correctly, or the birds go. Period.
If you wanted the birds and are just letting them do chores for some extra money, then... if they dont do chores EVERYDAY then they dont get paid.
Just take the chores and chance to earn money away from them if they wont do the chores. Trust me, when they want something from the store and have no money, they'll want to do those chores!

 

[swampcat]

If I was in your position, I would make them pay me for any time I have to remind or do their chicken chores. Figure out how much a week they would make and then each day you have to pester, they pay you that day's equivalent. I would think after paying you a few times to take care of their chickens they will realize they could have that money and hop to it.

Another thought is to have a dry erase board up in a common place with each and every chore they have to do and they have to put an x next to the ones that are done... that way they can see they did this but forgot to do that. But I'd go with them paying me

My daughter is only 9 and it's like pulling teeth to get her to do the chores. Fun stuff, like tucking them in a night is no problem, but changing water or shoveling out coop is another story.

 

[jcatblum]

The other night told DH we were going to make a chart like you see in retail bathrooms, everyone has to initial each time after what they had done, but he thought I was crazy! Figure once school starts my initials would fill up the board!

 

[magicpigeon]

Do they like the chickens? They should *want* to help if so...

 

[jcatblum]

Quote:
They do like chickens & guineas. They have picked out or hatched 80% of the birds themselves, but as with all things kids get bored easy. The liked band until a month of band practice! They hadn't given up their love for birds, they still sit & watch them play. Think the biggest problem is there are things more fun than chicken chores. Right now they would spend hours a day listening to music or playing iPods.

Maybe we need a set schedule like a job. When they did papers they knew @ 4 newspapers had to be picked up @ the dock & all papers must be delivered by 6. They were fined if they missed a house or someone complained.
Maybe I need to set a fine for Mom complaining! With newspapers 1 fine was more than they would make all wk for delievering to that house.

 

[magicpigeon]

Quote:
They do like chickens & guineas. They have picked out or hatched 80% of the birds themselves, but as with all things kids get bored easy. The liked band until a month of band practice! They hadn't given up their love for birds, they still sit & watch them play. Think the biggest problem is there are things more fun than chicken chores. Right now they would spend hours a day listening to music or playing iPods.

Maybe we need a set schedule like a job. When they did papers they knew @ 4 newspapers had to be picked up @ the dock & all papers must be delivered by 6. They were fined if they missed a house or someone complained.
Maybe I need to set a fine for Mom complaining! With newspapers 1 fine was more than they would make all wk for delievering to that house.

My parents used the guilt tactic. They have never helped with cleaning the coop, buying feed, et cetera. This had to be raised ourselves. We treated the hens bumblefoot, collected the eggs, sold the chicks. So it was our full responsibility. I suppose it is if you consider them "your" chickens or "their" chickens. And if they are pets or just livestock. JMHO...

 

[Jerseycoop]

After the passing of our family dog the kids begged us for a puppy. Instead, we all decided chickens would be great because they each got their own " pet" my three are 7, 5 and 2. My two older children fight with each other on who's going to feed and give water to them. They raised them with us from 3day old chicks. It was made very clear that they were to help if they wanted another pet and for three months they have been awesome! I do expect down the road that this will become boring to them but right now they have taken care of the girls very well. I think they enjoy the affection they get in return for their care taking because the chickens love their attention and let them pet and hold them.

 

[jwg423]

so I maybe missed where it was clarified, but want to check... When they do not do the chores do they keep the egg money?
If Mom and/or Dad do the work then Mom or Dad get paid!
If they are motivated by money they will learn once the money stops rolling in!

For my boys if the animals don't have food or water, then they don't eat or drink until the animals ARE fed and watered.
Some may not like this idea but I am trying to teach them how awful it feels to be hungry and not have necessary food and drink, and for them it only takes a reminder now and then!

 

[Jerseycoop]

Quote:
That's motivation! Maybe it's because money is the motivater for them to the do the chores. I think maybe you should have removed paying them for doing the chores that needed to be done. It's easy for them to decided on wether or not they wanted to be paid for their chores but the fact remains if they decide they do not wish to get money for the days worth of chores then the chickens would not eat, drink or live in a clean coop without your help. I think this is where it went wrong