No one has messed with my chickens until today

[rancher hicks]

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I might agree if I hadn't experienced the kids in our first neighborhood. The neighbors two kids Erin and Andrew couldn't have been more than 5+6. They came into our house and sat watching TV til after dark. We hadn't and they hadn't lived there very long.. Their mother was oblivious to where they were. She didn't know us and we didnt' know her. But then the OP didn't say how old he was did they?

 

[Baconator]

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Yeah she said the kid was around 10

 

[Over Easy in Adna]

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Bull! (The mods would not be happy with the ending of that word).

Over reaction to what..... tresspassing? Burglary? Theft? Malicious Mischief?

Maybe the next egg he tries to take will be out of the fridge in the house....then what? I would talk to the parents and let them know that until I feel comfortable with the child, I never want to see him on my side of the fence again.

 

[pulletkeeper]

I'm sorry, 6 or 60, I would come out of my house with loaded shotgun in hand if I saw someone in my coop without me or my husband. We sell produce and eggs from the farm and have lots of friends and farmers coming and going but there are some things that are off limits: You don't mess with the kids, livestock, and you don't mess with the pets!

Period. My son never understood why I pushed manners and respect so hard on him while he was growing up and now that he is in college, living in a dorm, he can't believe how many people his age have no clue as to laws, rules, manners, etc. There are times I really wish it was "the good old days" when families were actually around and present to raise their children.

Ok, sorry, off my soapbox now.

 

[elf]

I wouldn't get anything started with a kid you know nothing about. Especially with one who seems to have had no "hometraining". I made that mistake with my landlady's grandson when he showed interest in "helping" with my potted plants. He asked if he could help and I said, "Sure!" I showed him how to water the plants, but even though he was old enough and smart enough to do it right, he would several times daily water the dickens out of a few select plants so that they rotted and neglect the others. When I tried to correct him, he just laughed. He eventually learned to "help" by getting the younger brother to "help" smash and knock over plants and put sand in our lawn mower. The GM said the kid got a spanking for the last thing, but the kid laughed when she told me that. I once was conversing with the kids' parents, who are nice enough, when one of the darlings beside her picked up a muddy rock and threw it at my clothes on the line. I wondered why they were always dirtier when I got them off the line. Can you believe I had to be the first one to say "Don't". I couldn't escape since I lived on the landlady's farm , so I got to the point of running inside everytime I heard them coming.( I knew when they were near by the sounds of things breaking.) Now we have our own place in the sticks where no one can find us. Kids vary a lot, so sure, you could end up with a wonderful relationship training a Future Farmer of America, but you also may never have another moment's privacy.

 

[dchickenman]

Elf, what a nightmare for you! Corporal punishment was made for kids like that. Too bad their parents obviously don't think so.

If my kids EVER dared to be that disrespectful to ANYONE, there would be some immediate physical consequences.

Hearing about children raised that way gets me really steamed!

 

[Mattemma]

I don't encourage kids into my yard either to help with anything.I work way to hard to have the neighbors chaotic kids *help* me.I will however suggest how they can get a garden going even with a few pots.As for chickens well that is up to THEIR parents to provide that.

 

[BigBadCryBaby]

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Holy Cripes. Get a load off yer chest, why dontcha! You'd point a shotgun at a 6 year old? 7 yoa I can understand, they get big by then and kinda slippery, but 6???

 

[95yj]

i can see why your ticked, i completely understand. But honestly, stealing eggs isn't exactly the worst thing he could be doing. He could be experimenting with crack, or shooting your chickens with a bb gun for instance, or slashing your car tires for fun. I dunno, i'd just forget about it and let the situation fix itself, unless he comes back or something.

 

[pattypenny]

Put locks on all gates and houses where the chickens are, children going into the pen can let chicken out or might harm the chickens with out intending to do so. besides the way things are in this time they could be older people going in you pen to steal your hens. We have a ready market here for large chickens, 8 to 10 dollars each if you want money with out working hard you might see chickens as a ready cash.
I have lost chickens to neighbor children some baby chicks and some older chickens that were released to meet the roving dogs we have here.
year before last I had 25 chicks in a brooder and over a period of 6 weeks I lost 7 birds and I believe that this was done by adults. so lock your gates and doors a pad lock will not stop some but it will slow them down and maybe give you time to realize something is wrong and a pad lock will stop young children.
I had a pen of 2 cochin mothers with chicks and children got into the pen and by the time I realized that they were there the mother hens were screaming bloody murder in hen talk and not a chick was to be found, I had 16 chicks with the 2 hens either the neighbor cats and dogs ate them or the children took them home either way they were gone and I lost chickens that I had spent time and money on.
I can't see any good answer except prevention and the pad lock is the best answer.