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Thinking of getting a pet for your children, but don't want something that takes hours to care for and your children will lose interest in within a couple of months. Try getting a couple of chickens! They not only eat your food scraps but they will lay you little gifts. Eggs! It's so easy now to have a couple of chickens in your backyard. There are quite a few small coops available and you can always let them run free in the garden every now and then. We have bantams, as they are nice and small even when they are all grown up, so the children still find them cute and interesting. Also with bantams there are so many colours and feathery varieties there is one to suit any household. At our house the eldest helps with the feeding and the youngest checks the eggs. Of course as with any pet (especially birds) you should encourage your children to wash their hands after handling a chicken or collecting eggs. Eggs should also be thoroughly washed before put into the fridge or eaten. If you would prefer to have chickens primarily for eggs then it would be better to get a breed of chicken specifically for that purpose. All round a chicken is a very resourceful addition to any household (o yeah! and a great pet!)