Raising Children with Chickens
by Rachel Tayse • June 14, 2010 • City Chickens, Family, Parent • 7 Comments
There is no doubt that the true chicken keeper of our family is four and a half year old Lillian.
She named the chickens and feeds them scraps. She takes them on bike rides and returns them to the coop after free ranging in the yard.
Lil recently petitioned to be in charge of collecting eggs. This is no small feat; Lil climbs headfirst into the coop and reaches into the nesting area. She pulls out eggs one at a time and gently carries them into the house.
Sometimes the chickens have had enough child’s play. Recently Lil came crying to me with a blemish on her eye lid. I asked what happened. “I was holding Sussy by the wings and pinching her comb.” I don’t have a lot of sympathy for her injury but hopefully Lil learned something about treating animals gently.
Here are Lil’s thoughts about the chickens in her own words:
We have come to learn that a flock of laying hens is a delight for most children, including Lil. Keeping livestock teaches responsibility and biology with a healthy dose of fun.
Awesome video!
Great info!
Willa(5) will not go near the chickens after she was attacked by a rooster. Violet though (3) loves to help get eggs. She has broken quite a few though LOL. Its good to see them learn how to handle the chickens , watch eggs come out and learn about the birds and the bees from our rooster.
I’m sure Lil will ave great memories from this and hopefully she will be a urban or country chicken keep when she grows up!
love the photos and the video. Especially the first photo. Awesome!
Howdy all,
Man-o-man, that is one cute little niece with the chicken. ‘Ya know, I don’t ever think I ever actually held a chicken in my lap! We sure had enough of them around, but I never really thought of them as holding and petting material. I love seeing the chicken updates and now I think every kid should have a few chickens.
Mike
So wonderful. I had chickens growing up and I miss them so. Really wish I had time right now to put a coop in, but it’s tough with a gun dog who thinks she rules the roost. Look forward to more updates! [K]
how fun!
Darling video of Lil! I watched it 3x. Hopefully she’ll show this to her grandkids someday and the traditions you’ve started will be passed on. Lovely!