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Chickens and toddlers

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My Eglu hasn't arrived yet, but I'm doing some advance planning!

 

I have read a few posts suggesting that toddlers (prone to poke interesting things) and chickens (prone to peck interesting things) don't mix. I have a 20 month old and I was intending that she was going to be involved in the whole chicken thing right from the start, but am now worried that if she does she will reach her 2nd birthday minus a finger! :shock:

 

Does anyone have chickens and a toddler? If so what tips can you give me to keep them both safe?

 

Thanks x

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Hi there, we got our chooks last May, smallest boy wasn't two til August and it was fine. I think he got pecked once or twice but to be honest he was a bit nervous of them so didn't poke them after that. They also seemed to learn that fingers didn't taste nice and stopped pecking. Now all of my kids (2 5 and 6) are fine with the hens. They learnt to feed the hens with open hands or to get scoops of corn and throw it onto the ground for them.

Yours will soon learn and they will LOVE it! :lol:

 

Mrs Bertie

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Yup I have a 2 year old and a 9 month old. My toddler loves the chickens, and loves to run around making chicken noises. The chickens are very tollerent of him and for the most part dont come up to him. Apart from my more forward ones. He likes to feed them earthworms and sultanas which he holds out for them. Those that eat from hands will give him the odd peck on the finger. But this just tends to make him laugh and get excited. chicken pecks rarely hurt it more makes you jump. I hold him up so he can collect the eggs and he likes carrying them back into the house for me saying wow wow wow. And every time I come in from the chickens he looks to see if I have eggs and says 'da' or 'no da'.

 

So yes dont worry your chickens and child will be fine!

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Take one toddler and one chicken. Throw both into the garden and leave them too it. Toddler will very quickly learn to avoid the beak end and chicken will very quickly learn how to avoid predators. Job done! 8)

 

Seriously though, I'm sure your toddler will be fine. You will need to supervise them as the chickens can peck, but if you feed them from a bowl rather than by hand, they will not associate fingers with food (one of mine tried to swallow my finger the other day! Not painful, but I was worried she would choke on it as it was jammed in her throat :roll: ) Also may be worth avoiding toddler cuddling chicken until bigger to avoid possible pecks to the face (can sometimes happen when they are young and still a bit nervous) Otherwise, I'd say go for it. My boys (3 & 5) love collecting eggs and scattering corn. They are also now big enough to catch the chooks and cuddle them, and the girls are not jumpy now. They just flap away when they have had enough. :D

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I was about to ask the same question as I have a very boisterous 15 month old toddler who gets very excited when he visits the chickens and ducks at the local petting zoo.

 

Good news that chickens and toddlers can get along as I was worried how he'd be with chickens in the garden and who would come off worse - my son or the chickens :)

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Mine have bee fine with the children. In fact they get up close and personal

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=194309&highlight=wary#194309 was my younger son when we first got them. He had just turned two. My daughter is currently 18 months and loves going and talkign to them and feeeding them bits of plants. NEither of them have been pecked but then neither have any fear either which I think all birds and animals can sense.

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