Starting a flock at a nursing home - anyone done this?

[MontanaChickDoc]

Hi there! I have been reading articles about the benefits of keeping chickens for seniors, and would really like to help a local senior home get a small flock of chickens (6-8 ladies). Has anyone out there done this? Do you have any advice? It's a rural area of VA so zoning is not a problem. I figured I can do some fundraising to help with the cost of the coop and yard (I will get a pre-made one to make my life easier, unless I can find a group that wants to build one for me at low cost) (raise money by selling eggs, baby chicks, baked goods???), and I can provide the hens myself, and pitch in for the food and bedding (I'm at TSC every week anyway, an extra bag of food and shavings a month won't ding the budget that much ) I'm really excited about this (and I can probably write some of it off on taxes as a charitable donation) but tend to leap into projects with a lot of enthusiasm and not a whole lot of planning

 

[RollTideChicken]

Would you be the primary care taker for the birds? I like the idea, and I bet it'll be a hit with the home, but it might add to your daily chores.

 

[ldrchickens]

There is an elderly care facility close to where i live that raises peacocks with their residents. I believe it is a wonderful idea!

 

[RollTideChicken]

So the seniors take care of the birds? Yea I'm totally for it. Anything that keeps folks active later in years is great.
My thoughts spring to after it's all established. Where will all the waste go, who collects eggs, mends fences/coop, watches the birds for health problems...ya know, all the things that go with keeping chickens. Getting something going is the easy part, keeping it right is the long haul.

 

[imneva]

I would not get one of the tiny prefabs. They are poorly made and do not last long.

 

[TheBeardie]

My mom has worked at nursing homes for years. One had a farm, it had turkeys and a couple horses. I believe it has more now though she doesn't work there anymore so I don't really know what all they have.

I've never personally had a Prefab coop, but I've heard that most people wished that they built their own.

I would avoid any roosters, just in case he becomes aggressive towards the elderly. Make sure you keep an eye one whoever is taking care of the hens.

Be careful of who you choose to help you. One resident at my mom's current job has injured her dogs multiple times, too short nail trimming, something done to their eyes and then trying to blame the injuries on another resident. Make sure that whoever helps is responsible.


You should probably have a fenced-in area for viewing instead of any free ranging, again for the safety of the hens. Maybe have a certain time frame for handling the girls? Like an open for business type thing.

I'm sure the people there will enjoy the beautiful hens if you decide to do this!

 

[N F C]

I recall reading this article a few years ago:
why-chickens-and-seniors-are-a-match-made-in-heaven

Have you talked with the head of the seniors home you want to do this with? I would think you'd have to have their full buy-in.

The previous posters have made some good points. One other thing I'd like to bring up...if you were to leave home (for vacation, hospital stay, family issues, etc.), would you have someone to fill in for you?

Seems like this is a pretty large undertaking, if you could get a couple more poultry-keepers to join in with you, that might make it less burdensome for everyone.

 

[RoosterML]

A daycare center not far from me installed a chicken coop last year for the kids. I think it's a great idea for a senior center.

 

[SueT]

There are probably residents at that facility who are from rural areas and had chickens themselves and would really appreciate it.
My Mom is in an assisted living community in FL that has a small lake with swans, geese, ducks, and also exotic waterfowl that arrived on their own. They ask the residents not to feed the birds, and there's a sign saying "Please don't feed us, we're on a special diet."

 

[PouleChick]

I think it is a great idea, obviously as others have stated there are going to be seniors of really varied ability to help, some people are in homes due to age / no family no necessarily because they are no longer able to do anything. Anyone with dementia etc would need careful supervision however it would be of great benefit for them to have access to hens (this is true of many animals and is backed by research - the home I had my first nursing job in and where my grandfather was until he passed in April is introducing all sorts of animal programs). The home local to me has a big veggie garden that the residents look after, we are in a rural area and it is what they have done all thier lives and I'm sure it helps them so much even if all they can do is sit and watch!

ETA please keep us updated as this progresses!