4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[prudance]

My two young kids just love our new chickens. Problem is they just won't leave them alone. I seem to spend my whole time telling them off for picking up chickens and wandering off with them. My youngest can't hold a chicken properly, but that doesn't stop her from picking them up at every available opportunity. (Chicken held upright with hands sort of holding down wings on each side).

 

The chooks will be happy feeding and the kids will pick up the two docile ones and wander off with them. Then they'll go back and do it again, then tempt them with inedible things, make loads of noise, and generally do what 2 and 4 year olds do best!

 

So do you think that my kids will be stressing the chickens out too much, or is this good interaction? They're not willfully being mean or chasing them for chasing's sake. I had this dream of free range (at least part time) chickens and children!

[Egluntyne]

It might be a good idea to limit them to supervised chook holding sessions in view of their age.

 

Hens can get a bit stresses out and would probably prefer to be left to do their own thing.

 

Over vigorous manhandling, albeit done without malice, can lead to injury, and a child could be injured by a flapping wing or scraching claw.

[prudance]

Thanks, new to this, but was beggining to get concerned. I would probably have taken more care if it was a dog "playing" with them.

 

No touching chickens tomorrow then unless I'm helping. I'm going to have to find a naughty step for the garden that's not covered in chicken poo!

[cordelia]

my goodness your chickens must be tamer than mine LOL..

 

my two older girls would be terrified rather than pick them up (they did like to peck you before they started laying)

 

the younger one, is too young still to pick them up

 

I did see on the Coal House programme, or something similar the "housewives" complaining their chickens had stopped laying when the children picked them up all the time ...

 

[Ygerna]

My chickens follow the children round the garden;yesterday is was like follow my leader as my 3 year old climbed through bushes and accross the rockery and so on with two or three chickens following at any one time He also takes great pleasure is stopping and petting them, and they instantly crouch and let him do it. I figure that if he was scaring them they would avoid him whenever he went near them. (wouldn't they )

[The Dogmother]

Whilst chickens can be child-friendly, they are best left to their own devices much of the time as they can get very agitated if handled too much. It's always best to supervise children around any animal.