A woman who works with me wants to bring the grandchildren to see my hens. Is there anything I need to know so they and the kids are safe? I have a bottle of sanitisor so they can clean their hands but i have no experience of children and hens as my nieces and nephew are 19 and they know how to behave (my sister doesn't go near them as she hates birds!
Most children will be fascinated with birds that they can get close too, but before you go, lay down the law, kids like to know how to behave. Talk to them about not yelling, or jumping wildly, but walking slowly and quietly. You don't mention how old these kids will be, but my grandchildren are 3 and under, and I have them look at the chicken on the other side or through the fence. My niece and nephew are in elementary school, and they often come into the run and look for eggs with me there. MrsK
I’ll add a couple of things. Since they are apparently not coming from where other chickens are kept, I don’t think you need to worry about biosecurity. If they were coming from contact with other chickens it’s a good idea to have them change shoes. You could require them to shower and change clothes but that’s going a bit overboard in my opinion. Changing shoes should be sufficient, especially if they are not handling the birds. The concern is the kids transferring diseases from other chickens to yours. The only other thing I can think of is that roosters have been known to attack strange people, especially if they are perceived as a threat to the hens. If you have a rooster you might consider this. Maybe keep a fence between the kids and the rooster or at least control the kids so they don’t chase the hens or do things the rooster could perceive as a threat. Things like Mrs. K said.
Just tell the kids they need to move slow and keep an adult in arms reach of the kids. If the kids decide it's fun to scare the hens, out they go! Be sure there's some eggs in the nest box, too! Kids absolutely adore finding eggs. Take a basket or carton out and let them collect the eggs. If you want, let them take "their" eggs home.
the bottle santizer stuff doesnt do anything in the way of cleaing: children should just wash their hands with running water and soap after handling the chickens if they are younger then three years old, or immune deficient... if they suck their thumbs or pacifiers, its a no go for inside with the birds , or at leat, w/o the pacifier, and give the thumb sucker something to hold on to rather then putting finger in mouth after handling chickens... in my personal opinion of running petting zoos, if the kids are not animal wise, or have not been around animals, its always a better option to take a calm chicken out of the coop and let them handle it while it is in your arms. show them the feathers, the wing span, how the feet are, let them touch the toes, find the ear hole, look at the beak, and then and only then, take them one at a time to look at the chickens inside, and if u give treats, let the child give out the treats...IMO
