Teaching Business Skills Through Raising Chickens

If you had told me a few years ago that I would become a “crazy chicken lady,” I would have laughed and not believed you. I had always been a little intimidated by chickens with their beaks and talons, but all that changed when my family moved into a new home with a major spider infestation, particularly on our lawn. We decided to buy three hens that a friend had raised from chicks, and my views quickly shifted. These lovely creatures were so sweet and would come running to us any time we came outside with treats. They provided just enough eggs for our family, and surprisingly, as far as farm animals go, they are really easy to take care of!

Since then, I have loved raising chickens. Lee has also always been a big fan. Let’s take a quick pause and admire her through the years loving on chickens and chicks.

This year, my daughter Lee turns six. She is quite responsible and knows how to pull her weight around the house, but we’re always looking for ways to help her learn and grow. My husband and I discussed the idea of raising chicks and decided that there could be a great opportunity here for Lee if she wanted it. She would need to do all the work of feeding the chicks, cleaning their brooder/coop, gathering eggs, selling eggs, and so on. We let her know that there would be a lot of work involved. However, she could make money from her hard work and put it towards something she really wants. She was thrilled with the idea and said she really wanted to go to Disneyland.

Getting started with raising chickens with children involves a few important steps. The first thing we did was start with education. I highly recommend finding a good book on Amazon, such as Let’s Hatch Chicks!: Explore the Wonderful World of Chickens and Eggs by Lisa Steele. It is cute and captivating while also being informative. I can’t tell you how many times I found my daughter reading through it, picking up something new each time. One thing I loved about the book is it talks about the different ways you can hatch chicks. You may have a broody hen who can hatch chicks, or it even discusses using an incubator!

The book also discusses chick development each day. This was perfect. Lee remained excited and engaged the entire time the eggs were incubating as she learned about their growth.

Then we worked together to decide what chicken breeds we wanted. Lee wanted pretty chickens that were friendly. Jubilee Orpingtons fit the bill for us. But here are a few things you may want to consider when deciding on breeds for your family flock.

1. Consider the purpose: Depending on your goals, you might choose a breed based on egg production, meat production, or just as pets. Make sure to research breeds that align with your purpose.
2. Climate: Different breeds can handle different climates, so make sure to choose a breed that can thrive in your area’s weather conditions.
3. Personality: Some chicken breeds are naturally more docile and friendly, while others can be more flighty or aggressive. If you have children who will be interacting with the chickens, it’s a good idea to choose a breed known for being gentle and easy to handle.
4. Space: Some breeds are better suited for smaller spaces, while others need more room to roam. Consider the amount of space you have available and choose a breed accordingly.
5. Egg color and size: If you’re interested in having a colorful egg basket, choose breeds that lay eggs in a variety of colors. Additionally, some breeds lay larger or smaller eggs, so consider your personal preferences.

Next up, we created some checklists and worksheets geared towards children. For example, we have the Chick Checklist, an easy-to-understand worksheet that helps kids know exactly what they need before their chicks hatch. We also have the Egg Incubation Tracker, which is fun to have if you’re hatching your own eggs, but all chicks come from eggs, so if you know your chick’s expected hatch date if buying chicks, your kids can follow along with their growth. Coupled with the book mentioned above, you can learn each day what is happening in chick development.

Once Lee’s chicks hatched, we started using a chicken chore tracker. It was really important to me that she took responsibility for them completely (with my secretive observation from the sidelines). This lays out very clearly what needs to happen every day while you have chicks. Depending on your setup, you may not need to do each chore every single day, but Lee checks the food, brooder cleanliness, chick wellbeing, etc. every day. You can laminate this and hang it on the fridge or place it in a binder with an expo pen, or make a few copies at a time and get a new one each week. I chose to laminate Lee’s, making it something she can handle cleaning and resetting each week on her own.

We also created an expense tracker. At the moment, Lee's skill set is a little outside of handling the expense tracker, but hopefully, as she grows, she will start buying all the chicken feed, etc., with the money she earns from selling eggs and hatching and selling chicks. For now, we are buying the needed supplies for her. She is only six, after all! But if your kids are older, this is a great little business they can engage in and learn more about money management.

Lastly, we have a customer tracker. Once our chicks start laying eggs, Lee will work to find some local customers to sell eggs to. She also hopes to hatch chicks and sell them. If you are interested in the Chicken Keeping Bundle, check it out here.

Truly, there is nothing better than our children caring for a living creature and forming bonds with them. This guide will help ensure that your kids grow in confidence as the chicks grow with them. In the end, you will see the sweetest relationships grow!

We're all about raising kids who are confident helpers in their community. We believe it all begins at home, which is why we've crafted an awesome chore chart to develop these values.