Thursday 5 March 2015

Raising a Mixed Flock (kids + birds)


My kids are absolutely everything to me. I was never afraid of introducing my kids to birds or birds to kids because I knew to take the necessary precautions and I knew my kids were not afraid of animals. That is not always the case, some kids are afraid of meeting new animals and some folks don't know the proper steps and procedures to teach their kids. I am here to tell you, what I have figured to be a great way to raise kids around birds. 


When first introducing kids to birds keep them a safe distance from the birds. Most birds are quite curious and want to peck around and see if your holding any treats. Kids may get scared if a bird comes pecking at them.  


Do not let your child get face to face with a chicken even if the bird is a newbie or not, animals are very unpredictable. Chickens will gladly peck your little one right in the eye. 


Teach your child to be gentle to the birds. I have seen a chicken get injured from kids picking them up and squeezing too hard. This can cause an egg inside the chicken to break causing health problems and the chance that you will need to remove the egg shards, learn more here.

Teach your kids about predators! My son was faced with a terrible sight when he walked outside to find a freshly killed duck. He was just seconds away from coming face to face with a raccoon, which had just finished laying into my duck. This could be dangerous so teach kids what to look for and how to approach these situations. This is an excellent place to read about predators here!

Whether raising for meat or eggs your child should have fun learning about the meaning of the birds, why you have them, what they do, and what is going to become of them. I have quails as well and they are meat and egg birds. My kids know what they are for and what happens to them.

The most important thing your kids need to know is to wash their hands after handling birds! There are many germs associated with birds and to keep yourself and your family healthy just wash up when your done.

No comments:

Post a Comment