If you have space, raising chickens is such a wonderful thing for your family. When I was a child, my grandmother always raised chickens and I just loved helping her. It is one of my fonder childhood memories. I loved the Springtime when she had baby chicks and I helped her feed and water them and watched as they grew feathers to replace their fluff. I loved collecting the eggs and dumping out the kitchen food scraps and watching them gobble up bits of vegetable peels and pieces of mushy fruit.
Raising Chickens is a great way to teach kids about being responsible and taking pride in their own little flock producing organic eggs and composting.
Learning how to care for and rear chickens is a great way for children to learn responsibility and to see how things really work- watch the animals grow and learn how many eggs a chicken can actually produce in a day or a week.
From setting up heat lamps for baby chicks to the feeding to cleaning out the coop, your child will learn the value of labor and get so reap rewards for their work. Besides the fun of caring for them, you will can have your own fresh, free- range, organic eggs- a healthy addition to your diet! Another bonus is that chicken will keep the bug population in your yard down naturally!
Raising chickens does not require that much land. In the country, my grandmother had a chicken coop and a long run area fenced in so they could forage for bugs. When she moved to the city, she just had a small chicken cage built for her with wood and chicken wire that provide a small, covered nesting area and a small run area. In the country, she had about 20 chickens and always had eggs to share with the rest of the family. In the city, she just kept 2 hens and they laid just enough eggs for her. She also used their nitrogen-rich chicken poop in her compost pile to make a rich fertilizer for her garden.
Raising chickens is educational for kids, lets you know that you eggs are actually fresh and organic, and can offer you some food in an emergency situation!
Guest post written by Scarlet Paolicchi of Family Focus Blog, a green family blog. She is a stay at home mom blogger from Nashville who reports on family fun, eco tips, travel, giveaways, and products that you may find helpful or interesting.
I think this is a wonderful article and idea! My brother-in-law’s family has a chicken ranch so my sister’s children grew up helping with the chickens on the ranch as well as having some of their own at their house. Every day they would have to go feed them, gather eggs, clean up sometimes. I grew up in the suburbs (they’re more in the country) so it always surprises and pleases me to see how my nephews and niece already understand responsibility and the value of hard work. Someday when I have kids I hope to have a little space to at least have a chicken or two.
Hi Carrie
Chickens are fabulous little creatures and sounds like your neices and nephews must have many fine stories to to tell about thier chicken raising days. There is a lot of responsibility keeping chickens and the RSPCA has some great advice about keeping and taking care of chickens etc.
I’d love to have a few chickens but I’ve got two little Jack Russell dogs so I don’t think they would get along too well. Shame really as it would be fabulous to have our own eggs every day.
There must be nothing nicer than raising chickens for fresh eggs. I could never kill any of them though as they would have little names and be loved as family pets.
I’m the same with a small dog who wouldn’t like the chickens so it’s not practical for me but later on .. (when the dreaded day comes for my dog to go to heaven as all dogs do)
It is also a very very good idea for children. Im sure there is much more to learn from chickens than from a rabbit in a hutch but then again I think lots of outdorr pets could live in complete harmony together in a good sized garden specially planted so they have lots of natural food to enjoy.
No I couldn’t kill any of the chickens either Sue. But as meat eaters people accept that as long as they don’t see the killing everything is alright. I have no doubt there are some humane ways of doing the killing but in the main there are millions of chickens every day being cruelly killed after a cruel and harsh life.
When we see a chicken all duly trussed up in the butchers we are totally detached from a living thing. Same with all meat we buy.
You really do need to make sure you have gots lots of information on the food they need. Chickens for laying eggs need a completely different diet than chickens you are planning to eat.
I agree its a fantastic way to teach kids to be responsible and to learn about any animal and their needs. Extend egg collecting onto some wholesome organic cooking lessons and you will have happy healthy kids for life Im sure of that.
too right Allana. Teaching kids to cook organic healthy meals will give them a great start in lief and they will be less inclined to grow up eating junk food.
It’s the whole cylce of things and being creative with kids isn’t it Allana. I have a friend with a few chickens and last easter they belw the eggs , using the eggs for scrambled eggs for breakfast or cake making and the shells were still intact for egg painting. The kids had great fun and made some little presents for everyone too. The imagination is unlimited.
I’am a chicken lover..And I can relates on this. Its a great article that aiming to say that the word responsibility must manage on your childhood time.