Lessons on the Farm-Children Raising Chickens
I’ve recently seen some news articles cautioning against children raising chickens. While I am sure there are some risks, we have nothing but positive takeaways when it comes to our kids and the chickens. My oldest son first asked if we could get chickens two years ago. I thought it would be a great project for him and I, and that his little brothers would enjoy it as well. Once I made the decision to go for it, we immediately went to work on our future coop. We gutted an old outhouse (which I share here) and began to see the potential in it. Then we went ahead and brought home eight chicks. (I share about that here).
In our two years of raising chickens, the kids have learned a lot. So have I! While I would never call myself an expert, I do have some big takeaways from our experience. First, having chicks teaches children to care for something that completely relies on you for survival. They must be gentle when handling them and they get to watch them grow relatively quickly with proper care. This is different from other pets because usually there is a mother involved in some of the raising, but with chicks that isn’t the case unless one of your hens hatches them out. My kids took on a very active role in helping with the chicks. They helped feed and make sure the waterer was clean and full. They handled the chicks and looked for signs of them being cold or unhealthy. They watched with concern as one grew sick, and we tried to save it by giving it water in a medicine dropper.
This brings me to the next lesson. The kids quickly learned about death. We didn’t save our sick chick and our kids learned that that happens. They also know that with chickens there is always a risk of predators and death. We have been lucky when it comes to predators, but they know how vulnerable chickens are and they try their best to help keep them safe. They helped secure the coop and outdoor run when we built it. They keep an eye out for hawks when we are letting the chickens free range. When we culled an aggressive rooster they understood the reasons why. The boys gain hands on experience with the circle of life which is not a fun lesson to learn, but vital nonetheless.
One of the most valuable lessons learned is from the eggs. People do not understand where food comes from like they used to. Yes, they know they can go to the grocery store and buy food, but how is that food produced? From where? By whom? How? These are questions a lot of people do not have answers for. The disconnect between food and humans is at an all time high, and I want my children to understand how food is made and where it is from. Chickens and a garden are the two easiest ways to make that possible for kids. Plus once you switch to farm fresh eggs, you will never go back!
On top of that, you also may get the opportunity to sell the eggs which gives kids a sense of how hard work can pay off. My kids help with our chickens a lot. On top of the basic care of feeding and watering them, they also help keep the coop clean. My boys will haul in fresh dirt for dust baths. They help with coop maintenance and they help collect the eggs. We now have enough hens that we can sell eggs during the laying season and that is money my kids earn. With the cost of feed it isn’t the highest profit margin, but that isn’t really the point. They get that early lesson on business which is especially great as they get older.
I find it a little frustrating when news articles want to deter parents from letting children take a hands on approach with chickens. For our family, the reward has always outweighed the risk and now that we know of all the benefits of chickens, they will always be part of our farm story.
For more on getting started with chicks, check out this post! Tips and Tricks for Bringing Home Baby Chicks
