[hosh]

That kind of fear is not what I want to impart my children. Life becomes so small and dark when living life like that. But I get that I’m not the average parent. We already have chickens in the backyard.

Hen pecking don’t really hurt. They are more likely to run away from you. If you don’t pet them on their head, they won’t take it as establishing pecking order. Their claws only come out when they are raising chicks — as any mother caring for her young will do.

It’s the roosters you have to watch for, and you don’t need them in a flock. Dealing with roosters is trainable — using a mop is unreasonably effective with communicating with roosters because they think it is a giant rooster.

Disease is something you take care of by keeping the coop clean, and letting the chickens forage — pasture raising them.

But for my children, I think it is very important for them to know where food really comes from, and it’s not the grocery store.