Last February I did it - I jumped on the backyard chickens train. Our property already had an existing coop so all I had to do was get the chickens. Because I was expecting my second daughter about a month later, we opted to start with adult hens rather than chicks. I've decided to wait on getting chicks until my children are at an age where raising baby chicks would be both fun and educational (and let's face it, so that I can delegate some of the work onto them!), but I was pleasantly surprised that even laying hens hold a wealth of lessons for toddlers.
1. Observation: We have 5 chickens that are three varieties: one Buff Orpington, two Rhode Island Reds and two Black Sex-links. Telling the two pairs of sisters apart took a long time, but through observation I was able to point out a few of the subtle differences between them. We first started by talking about the biggest differences - their colors. Then I got my camera out and started taking close up pictures of their faces, tails and body to find the subtle differences. When you look really closely there are a few cues that can help you determine which chicken is which. For instance, for my two Black Sex-links (Bazinga and Fluffy), you can tell them apart because Bazinga's comb is flopped over and Fluffy's is not. These observations led to naming them, and I've let my toddler pick out each chicken's name as we discover their temperament or physical features.
2. Egg collection: This is the fun part! Several times a day we go out to the chicken coop and open our special egg collection door. This door is on the outside of the pen so we don't have to put on our "muck boots" in preparation for possible contact with chicken poop. Depending on the time of day, there could be an egg or two waiting for us or a lady sitting in the nest box working on one. Penny's favorite thing to do is "count eggies" when we get back inside. It's been the biggest help in getting her to learn her numbers 1-12. As she grows older she'll learn more and more about the process of creating an egg and gaining an appreciation of where her food comes from. Every time that we get to take an egg we say "Thank you chickens!"
3. Food: The chickens are fed their own special pellets that normally account for most of their nutrition. Our hens also benefit from the many kitchen scraps that I make throughout the day. Over 75% of what my family eats is fresh so I have tons of veggie or fruit scraps that were previously going to the yard waste bin that are now being very happily munched up by our chickens. Once or twice a day we take our scrap bin to the pen and toss it in for the birds to have some treats. This is another one of Penny's new responsibilities; she carries the little bucket from our kitchen to the pen door, and I'll toss the contents into the pen. If the chickens have met their egg laying quota for the day, we let them out in the yard to free range. They scamper around, eating tender grasses and bugs and are obligated to allowing Penny to pet them. My intention in showing her that we can pass our scraps on to the chickens is so that she can learn that not everything "unworthy" of the kitchen table needs to go in the trash or compost. Now that the weather is warmer and weeds abound in my yard, we've spent many an afternoon weeding and collecting those weeds for the chickens to eat too.
4. "Chicken chores": We have different chores that vary by the day and week. I still have to do most of them, but I allow Penny to participate at her level. These chores range from fluffing up the pine shavings in the nesting boxes for a cozy place to lay eggs, raking the pen to move around scraps or weeds, filling their food canister or water canteen, to finally the OH SO GLAMOROUS mucking of the chicken coop. Typically the last one I let Penny run around in the yard so that I have more freedom to move around in the coop without worrying about Penny reaching for a poopy roost. These chores teach her responsibility and empathy for our animals. It may seem like the eggs just magically appear, but chickens require special care in order to efficiently produce eggs and we want to be sure that we are respectful of this wonderful gift that they give us.
Keeping backyard chickens is just the beginning of teaching my children about honoring and respecting our food. Our culture of excess glosses over where food comes from and it comes to no surprise that many children have no idea where food comes from or how it magically appeared on grocery shelves. Even something as simple as an egg, which many of us take for granted, is a precious gift given by nature. Laying an egg isn't an easy feat for a chicken, it's uncomfortable but she still does it every day for us. It's a simple start, but hopefully will foster an understanding of the greater world beyond our pantry shelves.
Read more about Bianca, The Pierogie Mama, and her little “pierogies:" Penelope and little Ruby. Pacific Northwest raised and a Monroe local, in the twilight of her 20's and married to the handsomest and handiest engineer around. Follow along as she shares her two cents on natural and attachment parenting, cooks up fine meals, goes green, works on her renovation obsession, writes reviews on natural products, and attempts to chase down her two dogs. Check her out on BlogLovin', Facebook, Instagramand Twitter!
