Show and Tell Chickens

[Hen_House_Rocks!]

My daughter just started kindergarten three weeks ago. On the first day her teacher explained that each thursday they would have show and tell. Ever since, she has been hounding me about taking some "chicks" for show and tell.

While I'm all for taking actual chicks to show and tell (they are much calmer and easier to handle.) We have what I would consider "toddler chicks." They are about 26 days old and are at the point of not being real excited to be picked up. In two weeks when we are scheduled to bring the chicks for the show and tell, they will be at that awkward "teenage" chicken stage.

My fear is that the chickens will be scared and stressed out by the situation. I was thinking that I'd transfer 3 or 4 of them to a pet taxi the night before when they are nice and calm. Then try to find a playpen type of structure and bring some bread for the kids to hand feed them if they are comfortable once they come out of the taxi into the playpen. This would give the kids some interaction with the chickens without anyone having to actually try to hold the wiggly little buggers.

Do you guys think this will work? If not, what would you suggest or do differently? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

sounds good...





















... and fun

 

[Hen_House_Rocks!]

FUN?! 25 noisy five year olds!!! I'm not so sure!!

But my daughter is so excited that I couldn't say no.

 

[embkm]

Have you talked to her teacher about bringing in live chicks? I just ask cuz I was going to take in chickens for a 4H demonstration and was told no live animals in school... period.

As far as taking them... I would pick the calmest (in my case it would be the BO and RIR) to take. Good luck.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Where do you live where Kindergarten started 3 weeks ago?! By law in MI school can't start until after Labor Day.

Anyhoo, my daughter had Kindergarten orientation a few nights ago and they have S & T on Fri. Good news--pets ARE allowed provided that parents bring in the pets at S & T time and take them home immediately afterward. While the teacher was explaining this, the only thing going through my mind was "How am I going to bring Brownie in here?" Brownie is her pet Red Star. She's pretty gentle and used to being carried around by a 5 yr old.

I plan on bringing her in a pet carrier and holding her on my lap (w/ a towel of course) and just letting a few kids at a time get up and pet her, maybe bring half a sweet corn cob for her to peck on.

When I student taught, one of the students brought his sheep to school for his project on Argentina. Dad brought two ewes in a stock trailer in the parking lot. we all schlepped out there, let him do his presentation on Argentine merino sheep and went back to class.

 

[Hen_House_Rocks!]

We live in Missouri. I did talk to the teacher and she in turn spoke with the parents of hte kids with allergy problems. It was okayed by everyone and we are scheduled to do it next Thursday. I will take off of work and bring them in around 2 p.m. and they will go home immediately afterwards. I'm a little nervous that one of them will escape and poop on someones head!!

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

if you are nervous about an escape keep the chickens in a cage and let the kids pet through the cage