15 Reasons Chickens are The Perfect Pet for Children

hi and welcome to best farm animals today I want to talk about 15 reasons why chickens are the perfect pet for children when I wanted to teach my kids responsibility give them a pet and have Farm benefits the first animal we gave them was chickens chickens are arguably one of the very best pets for kids to have as a pet because they are so versatile chickens can bond with kids or remain as independent farm animals chickens are very good for kids children with pets are more likely to live longer and happier lives those benefits aren't restricted to just dogs or cats one of the reasons I chose chickens as my kid's first pet was because I had young children and I wanted an animal that wouldn't take a ton of my time caring for it chickens work well because young children can be taught to gather eggs feed and water chickens and gently hold chicks older kids can create an egg business learn accounting and marketing skills learn about breeding Showmanship and a host of other skills first chickens teach kids responsibility teaching kids responsibility is easiest when you start little chickens are ideal for kids of all ages because they can be pet quality and give loves and snuggles or they can be friendly and independent a friendly flock is ideal for young kids who can be taught to check the chickens water and feed them daily kids as young as 3 years old can learn to carefully gather eggs scatter scratch or feed chickens by hand young children can learn to carefully hold chickens although you'll have some disasters older children around ages six to n can be responsible for calling the flock in at night and locking them up they can learn to check for injuries at 8 kids can participate in 4 and learn how to show chickens present themselves in front of a judge and audience and communicate more effectively twin and teens can create an egg business my daughter founded her egg business at 9 and learned about simple accounting expenses and decision-making she learned simple accounting by creating flyers and a poster to advertise her business she learned how to communicate with adults about her business second youth learn delayed gratification from chickens I often hear others complain about entitled youth caring for chickens teach kids to care for another living creature besides themselves chickens must be fed during the cold of winter they need water on a hot day or they'll die children learn to care for their flock even when it's cold raining snowing or hot outside they learn to put aside their own desires for the good of another creature my kids have learned to wait to eat dinner until the birds are locked up I've seen them battle fear of the dark at 7:00 p.m. in the winter to lock up the birds they've gotten up earlier to let them out or gone outside on a cold winter morning to open the C Door and gather eggs in this world of instant demand learning to wait until others are cared for builds character third chickens are educational chickens can help teach kids many things they can learn how to count eggs and count chickens at night when they lock them up eggs and chickens become in many colors and Hues that help kids learn colors and sorting they learn about different breeds if you have a mixed flock older children learn about caring for injuries watching for potential problems and problem solving they can learn about entrepreneurship and business when kids are in charge of the flock they learn about injuries and how to help hens heal my kids have learned research skills as they look up what's causing an issue or help to protect against predators I found that giving my kids the answer isn't as effective as encourage them to come up with their own Solutions sometimes their Solutions fail but they learn from it when I give them the answer they question it or don't remember it later when they take the time to research it themselves they learn and remember fourth kids learn to safely handle smaller creatures from chicks young children aren't naturally gentle they hold on to things tightly and haven't developed the motor skills to hold gently chicks can help kids develop fine motor skills and learn to be careful when holding them my youngsters haven't occasionally dropped a chick or squeezed it too hard but those sad losses of a chick have taught them the importance of being gentle which is helpful in other situations fifth children learn bios safety from chickens chickens can be dirty they can catch or carry diseases from wild birds bio security is important when handling chickens kids learn about the importance of isolating sick Birds to keep the flock healthy they learn to wash their hands to avoid spreading salmonella they learn to clean out the C so parasites are kept under control young kids can learn not to put their fingers in their mouths and wash their hands as soon as they enter there are dozens of other ways that kids learn about biosafety and biocurity from caring for chickens sixth animal habitats are experienced through chickens kids who care for chickens learn about the intricacies of another species they learn about chickens habits needs and reaction reactions to different situations they can learn by observation how a prey animal functions differently from a predator such as a dog or a cat children can observe chickens having dust baths running for cover and the hierarchy of the flock my kids have learned to notice when their poop changes colors or consistency they noticed if a chicken starts acting differently they've even noticed a difference in how the hens act when we have a rooster versus when we don't have a rooster seven chickens are low-maintenance pets chickens require relatively little care compared to other farm animals rabbits being the exception chickens are relatively independent and don't require hours of Love companionship or care they can entertain themselves scratch for food and put her around the yard chickens can become fully blown companions but they also do well as a pet that adds responsibility but doesn't overwhelm them as a busy mom I enjoy chickens because they have been very instrumental in teaching my kids responsibility without requiring a large time commitment from myself eight kids learn gratitude from chickens many kids and adults don't understand the role that animals play in our food production some animals give their lives to provide meat on the table others work producing eggs and milk still others are foundational in cultivating soil pollinating such as bees and other useful tasks kids who understand animals impact on our modern diets usually appreciate their roles in it they are more likely to grow into adults that care for the world around them and see themselves as part of a vast network of contributing creatures the Gratitude my kids have learned from having chickens has helped grow them into better stewards of their resources and Caregivers for other animals we've adopted sents nine chickens teach about life and death we live in a society today that's largely protected from Death families no longer prepare their dead for burial today we pay others to do it I'm not saying that's bad but kids often don't face death unless it's catastrophic by being someone close to them chickens help to teach kids about death and deal with smaller heart breaks this grows their resilience four years into owning chickens my kids still cry when a hand is killed by a predator but they've learned valuable lessons about healthily dealing with the loss they've learned resilience when times are hard and sad they've also learned about treasuring relationships while animals and people are around even small children learn about death when they mistakenly hold hold a chick too tightly or drop it those losses are small Financial losses but big teaching moments number 10 hands teach kids about sustainable food sustainable means many things to many people for some sustainable Foods means affordable that's especially relevant now that a dozen eggs average about $5 at the store for others sustainable food means the ability to sustain food production long term it's hard for us to butcher a chicken it's hard to raise meat chickens but meat chickens have a healthier happier life on a homestead than on a factory farm and going through the heartache of having to co a rooster or hen teaches my kids to think about the life quality of the animals they eat they recognize and learn respect for the sacrifice animals make for us 11 sex talks are easier when you have Birds when I was a kid the sex talk was awkward now that I'm a parent I'm sure it was just as awkward for my parents as it was for me with my kids I try to make the talk more of an ongoing natural conversation so they can ask questions as they have them we also incorporate safety conversations since abuse is so prevent chickens have given us an easier Avenue into these conversations my youngsters still don't know what sex means to people but they do recognize and understand mating among chickens they understand that its purpose is to fertilize the eggs they know we can't ubate eggs if it's not fertilized when I was pregnant with my youngest my 5-year-old asked me how the baby got in my belly it was a lot easier to give a simple explanation because he understood the mating habits of chickens I use terms like mating to explain sex in an age appropriate way without embarrassment for him or me it also helped me navigate my teenagers questions as she learns to navigate the world of boys 12 chickens teach Consciousness Recycling and conservation chickens eat table scraps eliminating food waste that goes into landfills they create manure helping Foster healthier Gardens I've taken my kids to the local landfill they understood that we don't throw food in the trash we recycle it into the Chicken Treats chickens love Peach pills dried out vegetables and Carrot Tops they even enjoy picking off the bones or eating the fat from our cooking process raising chickens teaches kids how to reuse waste better for other uses we've shredded paper trash to use in Bedding with chicks or mixing chicken manure from the coupe we've fermented chicken Fe feed to double the amount of feed and nutrients the hens gain from it that saves money on feed as well learning to see uses for traditional trash and use it in a more environmentally healthy way is a practical way to help save the planet 13 chickens provide bug control without pesticides chickens eat a lot of bugs they spend all day scratching and eating bugs some chicken breeds will even go after mice and VES allowing chickens to eat bugs around the yard even even for a few hours a day drastically reduces the bug population and will fertilize your Lun my girls have become less screamish about bugs now they'll catch a bug and take it to a chicken for a treat instead of freaking out 14 chickens are a lowcost investment for parents chickens cost much less than many dogs goats horses sheeps or other animals breeds the average chick cost around $5 to $10 fully grown H can cost as much as $20 chickens need little setups other than a place to go at night or pine trees the investment in chickens is pretty low compared to other animals if your kids mess up and you lose a hen you are out the hundreds of dollars that the loss of a goat or lamb will cost you 15 chickens provide food for most families pet chickens provide eggs I don't really recommend becoming attached to meat chickens but meat chickens can be used to teach responsibility and about the food chain if you are careful in your setup and food chickens can provide eggs at a lower cost than purchasing them this helps many families to find additional food Security in conclusion although this isn't allinclusive I hope it gives you an idea of the many benefits of letting your kids raise chickens you don't have to already love chickens I know several families whose parents quite despise Birds even so they enjoy the benefits their kids gain from owning and raising chickens I hope you enjoyed this video don't forget to like And subscribe to our channel so that you can learn more about chickens and other farm animals thank you

Channel: The Best Farm Animals

Views: 427

Keywords: farm animals, urban farming, city farm animals, farm animals for city living, small farms, best farm animals, best farm animals for small farms, pet chickens, chickens as pets, chicken pets

Id: FdEF3AY-MOE

Length: 12min 9sec (729 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 16 2024