Kids & Pets {Lessons Learned}

I've never been a big pet person.  We had several cats growing up, and I never minded them, but I don't ever remember having any special kind of bond with any of them either. Then there was our one and only dog, Cosmo.  My brother got him for his first grade pet show.  Once again, he didn't bother me, but I never really cared too much about him.

Well, now I'm a parent and I know why my parents bought a dog just for my brother's first grade pet show (which I remember thinking was a bit outlandish at the time).  You do all kinds of things for your kids that you thought you'd never do.

My boys haven't had too many pets.  We have a nice fish tank, we had a cat, Oscar, several years ago, and now we have our chickens.  The chickens have been my favorite pets by far, and I've discovered that I may be a bit of pet-person somewhere deep inside.  

I'm pretty sure I won't love every pet my boys ever have, but these chickens have taught us (mostly me, actually) many lessons.  Here's what we've/I've learned.

PETS TEACH RESPONSIBILITY

My boys so desperately wanted these baby chicks back in April.  At the beginning, it was extremely easy to have the boys help feed the chicks, change the water and bedding, and everything else.  It's been several months.  My boys don't exactly jump for joy when it's time to take care of the chickens (in fact, many days it's quite the opposite).  I do like how my boys have learned responsibility through this.  Every time they complain about getting food and water for the chickens, and now checking for eggs, I just remind them that they wanted them, the chickens can't change their own food and water, there are many kids who would love to have a pet to care for, and they need to be responsible.

PETS PROVIDE COMPANIONSHIP

I feel like I should be paying my chickens for their babysitting services for my three-year-old.  I've thoroughly enjoyed having my three-year-old home with me while my boys are in school all day, but the last hour or two before we pick up the twins from school can be a bit long.  I know he's had enough of me when he says, "I'll just be outside mom."  I  love to look out the window and see him talking to the chickens, feeding them, chasing them out of the vegetable garden, checking for eggs, and holding them.  They really are his little friends.  It's priceless to watch!  And the feelings are mutual.  Those chickens come running whenever they see him.

PETS TEACH IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS

My boys have never had someone close to them die.  The day after we got our baby chicks, one of them died (we did buy another one, two actually, to replace it).  It was heart-breaking.  He belonged to one of my twins.  He was devastated.  We made a rock headstone, buried him in the field, took flowers out, and stayed awhile.  Just seconds after we'd gotten back in the house, my darling little boy asked if I'd go back out with him to where his chick was buried.  I went with him, and the tears stared to flow.  He was so sad, but didn't want to cry in front of the whole family.  It was a moment I'll never forget.  He cried, and I even cried for him.  We talked a lot about life and death.  It wasn't easy, but such a great learning experience for him!  

What have your pets taught you?  I know there are many other lessons to be learned.  I'm sure there are lessons ahead that I won't appreciate too much, but I do have to say I'm convinced there is great value in caring for an animal.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

Chicken Coop & Chase

Remember these little guys?  Well, (you know how it goes) they're not so little anymore...

here they are now.  Actually, this picture was last week and they're even a little bigger now.  Hard to believe they're the same fluffy little puffs we brought home almost two months ago.  Oh, and your eyes aren't playing tricks on you.  There are three baby chicks in the picture above, and four chickens in the picture below.  One of our little chicks (the brown one) died the second day we had her.  Devastating for our boys.  We went and bought a new one the next day, and my husband told me to get an extra for a back-up, just in case.  Well, there hasn't been a "just in case" so we have four chickens now.  

Meet:

Mario (white)

Charles (all black)

Little Black Bear (black and white)

Little Squirrel (brown)

I guess my boys don't mind having hens as long as they have boy or Native American names.

And here's their humble abode/adorable country cottage in the works.  It's pretty much finished, but the final touches (like the hanging basket of flowers on the ground) haven't been added quite yet.  I'll do a final post on the whole coop when it's completed.  

I have to give a HUGE thank you to my amazingly handy husband.  He build this entire coop on his own from looking at a picture online (and made it look so easy).

The chickens themselves are fun, the coop is darling, but I have to say my favorite thing about having our chickens is watching my boys do their nightly chicken chase.  We've been letting the chickens wander the yard in the evenings when we're out, and they sure do give my boys a run for their money when it's time to go in.  Mario (the white one) is especially challenging, but my boys love a good challenge!

The cornering approach.

The chasing approach.

The sneaking approach.

Captured at last!  The proud victory smile.  

I tell you, I'm becoming a pet person more and more these days.  These four little chickens of ours have taught us valuable lessons, are the topic of our conversations, a source of tremendous joy, and bring us together as a family.  Who knows, we might have a whole farm before too long. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I  hope you found a little something worth your time.

Setting Up You Baby Chick's Nursery {The Brooder}

Like I mentioned in my Friday post, we got some baby chicks this weekend.  They are proving to be as delightful as I'd hoped.  We (myself, my three boys, and my husband) can't get enough of them!  My very energetic boys have all turned into little gentle parents.  They worry about the chicks and take such good care of them.  It's been such a joy to watch them!

This picture was taken before we had our brooder set up.  Our chicks normally aren't out on the grass all alone.

Raising your own chickens does seems to be all the rage these days, so maybe a lot of you already know how to set up a brooder.  If that word is totally foreign to you, (don't worry, up until five days ago it was to me) then keep reading.  I'm no expert, but I have read a lot of chicken material over the past few days, and here's what I've learned.

The brooder is your baby chicks' first home (think of it as a  nursery).  They will need to spend the first six to eight weeks of their lives here.  I was all excited to have my husband start on our coop, but we won't be needing that for about another month.  It will need to be build, however and I can't wait!

The actual container used for your brooder may vary.  There are commercial ones you can purchase, but after reading through some of our chicken books, we decided on a large Rubbermaid storage bin.  It's tall on the sides (so the chicks can't flap out as they grow) and because it's plastic, it's easy to hose out and wash when it needs cleaned (every 3 days or so is recommended).

Source:  Rubbermaid

Besides a container, you'll also need the following.

You can use a white or red bulb for your brooder.  We found a 250-watt white bulb for less than a red one, so we went with that.  I did read that the red light can be more gentle and natural for the chicks, and I'm sure they'd be great.  Our white one seems to be working just fine for us.

Source: Lowe's

Source: Lowe's

Your bulb will need to screw into a direct wire heat lamp with a ceramic base. 

Source: Fleming Outdoors

This is where you'll keep the chick's food.  We bought Purina's Start & Grow (medicated) for our little ones.

Source:  Fleming Outdoors

This is where the water will go for the chicks.  I did read you can put marbles in the bottom of the water because the chicks like shiny things and it can prevent drowning sometimes.  We don't have marbles in our water, and so far so good.

Source:  Fleming Outdoors

We went with a pine shaving bedding for our chicks.   It's the same stuff you'd put in a rabbit or hamster cage.

Source: Amazon

Your brooder will need to be 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week, and then decreased in five degree intervals every week after that.  A thermometer will help you keep track of the brooder temperature. 

Source:  Acurite              

That's about it.  I would recommend having your brooder all ready to go before picking up your chicks.  We didn't, and it wasn't terrible, but it would have been nice to have the set up all done with before hand.

I got my information from this book (click on the book image for more information).

I've almost read it cover to cover.  I don't think I ever thought I'd read an entire book about raising chickens.  It's really quite enjoyable!  I'm excited to read and learn more.

Well, I hope that made you excited to go out and buy some baby chicks.  It's really easy to get ready for them, and they will be a tremendous source of entertainment for you and your family!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.