Oh wow, did not see that coming

I know everyone is going to say that they have the best kids in the world but the fact of the matter is that someones child did this and it could of been yours. I dont know why people are so defensive when it comes to their kids like when you talk to someone and they say my kids the smartest kid in the class- Really? I am sure the teacher tells alot of the parents this but yet some parents think this is actually true. YIKES I would talk to the parent this is definitely a teachable moment.

Dont blame yourself, a child comes first and in that sec you did not for see that one of them would toss it up in the air. I have raised 4 boys now the oldest is 23 and the youngest is 15 and I am just a realistic when it comes to kids, and sure my kids are great they are not super kids who do no bad.
 
I have two young boys, under 10, and they have had the benefit of growing up among my boatload. In my life time, I think I could rival Noah's ark. CHildren need the opportunity to learn how to handle animals. We are now many generations away from farming; and most families don't have pets at all. Children need parental guidence at all times; it's just unfortunate that a sick child needed the undivided attention of the supervising adult. THis is a teaching moment. And no ones fault. Hope the baby survives and does well. YOu can only wait and see . . .
 
First... I hope your child is ok, then I do sincerely hope the chick is ok.

As for the child that threw it: Does the child have some sort of mental or medical issue? My 7 yr old is a GREAT child and has been taught to be gentle and caring to God's creatures. BUT she is also ADHD and forgets many things as soon as they come out of my mouth. While she "knows better" she "forgets better" more often than not. This may have been an opportunity to educate the parent/child on how to treat a baby chick, but it may also be a time to make a parent feel like they are a failure at having their child do right. I say that from experience and I personally would be "treading lightly" when I discuss with the parent.

Its a bad situation that this has happened, and I do hope the chick is ok and this wasnt just a child being cruel, but I also hope that the child is allowed to return to your home and again play with the chicks with your supervision. He is 6 yrs old. And be it meanness or "issue" with the child, he is still only 6 yrs old. I am sure the parent will be greatful for your kindness in allowing him to return even after this fiasco. I live by three mottos when it comes to children and how they behave "You never know what is going on behind closed doors", "It takes a village to raise a child" & ""Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
 
Quote:
Thought provoking for sure. (In fact all of these statements have been and FYI - my daughter is also ADHD, plus SPD and OCD) That "you never know closed doors" statement is what has kept me from saying anything. As I mentioned things were already strained between families (we share a driveway though). In the heat of the moment I just took care of the necessary things. Now I find myself struggling with the "what next" part.

Obviously I will continue with not letting kids be alone with our chickens. But an emergency occurred and who's to say one wouldn't again.

As for this kid, I can't avoid him or his family. If I dont say anything to the parents, then he gets away with it?? And his behavior is Okay?? If I do say something, you can be sure that he will PAY for his mistake. I dont think it will be physical, but the berating this child will receive for the embarrassment that he has brought to his parents, well, that will be strong to say the least. I wish that I had the minute to talk to him about it at the time. But I just scooped up chicks and my 2yo (yes, I left my 2yo outside alone too - sure, I'm a good parent) and put them in the brooder. I screamed at my husband to close the garage door and he said that neighbor boy was heading straight back to the brooder to get chicks out. He closed the garage door on him, forcing him to exit quickly. The next thing I knew his mom was in our driveway (I had left a message for her from the bathroom!) and my daughter was screaming in pain from the bathroom again. So, yes, definitely a TEACHABLE moment in a normal day. Just not then.

He is not being raised with animals, but his dad wants him in 4-H next year with a bunny. Our world is far from farming, but we live in a rather rural/suburban area. He comes from a family of fisherman. And I know he has spent many, many days at the nearby farms, zoo and petting zoo with other baby animals.


Where is the keel bone on a baby chick? And how to see if it's broken?
 
Last edited:
This may have been said, but boys typically do not think through their actions first. They act on impulse. This is not to say that what the little monster did was "ok" at all. I too think a spanking was in order, but today you don't know what kind of reaction you'll get from the mom. When my kids were little you spanked whoever was doing wrong and the parents thanked you for it. Today they'll try to sue you for it. I think this is a big reason so many kids grow up so rotten.

I mean "boys will be boys" but when they do this stuff they still deserve punishment.

Hope the baby is fine
smile.png
 
Quote:
Unfortunately, 6 year old really have no idea why they do what they do. Actually, neither do pre-teens, teenagers, or even many adults. That is why this needs to be used as a teaching tool to show them, and their parents, what to do/not to do.

I dis agree with what you wrote!


If kids are taught right they will know whats right and wrong (no matter the age)

all of my siblings and me know what we are doing... all 8 of us
smile.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Quote:
Thought provoking for sure. (In fact all of these statements have been and FYI - my daughter is also ADHD, plus SPD and OCD) That "you never know closed doors" statement is what has kept me from saying anything. As I mentioned things were already strained between families (we share a driveway though). In the heat of the moment I just took care of the necessary things. Now I find myself struggling with the "what next" part.

Obviously I will continue with not letting kids be alone with our chickens. But an emergency occurred and who's to say one wouldn't again.

As for this kid, I can't avoid him or his family. If I dont say anything to the parents, then he gets away with it?? And his behavior is Okay?? If I do say something, you can be sure that he will PAY for his mistake. I dont think it will be physical, but the berating this child will receive for the embarrassment that he has brought to his parents, well, that will be strong to say the least. I wish that I had the minute to talk to him about it at the time. But I just scooped up chicks and my 2yo (yes, I left my 2yo outside alone too - sure, I'm a good parent) and put them in the brooder. I screamed at my husband to close the garage door and he said that neighbor boy was heading straight back to the brooder to get chicks out. He closed the garage door on him, forcing him to exit quickly. The next thing I knew his mom was in our driveway (I had left a message for her from the bathroom!) and my daughter was screaming in pain from the bathroom again. So, yes, definitely a TEACHABLE moment in a normal day. Just not then.

He is not being raised with animals, but his dad wants him in 4-H next year with a bunny. Our world is far from farming, but we live in a rather rural/suburban area. He comes from a family of fisherman. And I know he has spent many, many days at the nearby farms, zoo and petting zoo with other baby animals.


Where is the keel bone on a baby chick? And how to see if it's broken?

Hi,
The keel bone is the chest bone between the breast muscles. It should be smooth, like a line running down the middle of the chest. If a chick is skinny, it will feel "sharp" which is okay in a young bird, just means the chick needs to gain weight. A full grown healthy bird should have a keel you can barely feel. I've not had experience with teeny fuzzy butt keels. 4 weekers of mine had a bit of a sharp feel when I got them, but now have good muscle on either side. You would feel it if it was broken. Another injury "falling" birds get is their skin on their chest splits from their keel bone hitting the floor - but you would have noticed it. Both types of injuries are common in pet birds who have had their wings trimmed too severely. Think: parrot thinks it's going to fly off of something but falls like rock instead.
Michele
 
Ugh - as a long time animal owner and the mother of 5 (boys and girls), I feel the need to point something out, folks:

NO child truly has reached enough of an understanding of right and wrong to be trusted to make decisions on their own until *about* 8 years old. This is fact, not my personal opinion. My personal opinion isn't that lenient! ;-)

Seriously, there is probably nothing "wrong" with the child who tossed the chick; 6-year-olds are not capable of the complex reasoning and caution that leads to common sense yet. They are still learning how to behave and respond to the world. Several people already pointed out how it may have been a simple, internal, "will it fly yet?" kind of impulse. I have heard so many parents say that their toddler or young elementary aged child would never do {insert behavior here}, but the reality is that they WILL unless they have learned never to do that one particular thing AND have the impulse control for that particular rule.

It's not an issue of wrong or right, it's a combination of age, emotional/intellectual/social maturity, and experience. Any child development professional will tell you the same thing. Point is, do NOT try to place your adult understanding and standards on a 6-year-old child. Every single one of my kids has been raised around animals, birds, and reptiles of various types all their lives. Only one of them seemed to "get it" by 7 or 8 years old and they are all highly intelligent, non-ADD or anything else, kids. My 4-year-old is in love with all of nature, but she's still not capable of truly grasping the difference between dolls, toys, and live animals. She got a new play-dress yesterday and promptly told the dogs all about it. She'll even tell you they can't talk and all that, but that's not the important piece.

Back when raising Chihuahuas, I had parents come over wanting a puppy for their child. Only once did I see a child that was got it well enough that I felt safe letting a dog go home with them. The others were more or less perfectly normal kids who loved dogs, but I didn't trust their parents understood the dangers enough to constantly supervise.

Remember the Looney Tunes character, "I'm gonna love him and hug him and name him George!"? It would be far safer if every parent operated as if that was the expected behavior of their child - at the very least, it would help many of us to not overreact when something bad DOES happen.

I hope your daughter is better and isn't too upset by the whole episode itself. If that chick does somehow show evidence of damage, she may feel guilty and see herself as being the reason. HUGS! Chicky sounds like it's fairly resilient.

PS: And yes, there are some really messed up kids out there who would do something like that to act out all kinds of issues, but let's try to be optimistic; these are her daughter's friends!
 
I hate the 'boys will be boys' attitude that some people have. Having your gonads in a different location does not justify being raised to be a pitiless monster. That's how serial killers are made. That boy's mother needs to know how roughly he's treating animals, and she needs to closely monitor him so he doesn't transfer this callousness to humans later on in life. Its a mercy to the people he interacts with later, and to him as he won't be rejected by society.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom