inside chickens anyone?

kittragsd

In the Brooder
Sep 23, 2015
19
4
24
after getting our first egg from both hens in just two days, they decided to tell the whole world, starting at sunrise, that they were in lay. Boy, what a couple of loud mouths. We were in a panic, since our hens are sort of " outside the law" We envisioned our local swat team pulling in the drive and locking the whole family up, including the chickens. Since we have a large unused basement, I thought why not !! I may be nuts, and it's OK to tell me so, I constructed a large pen down there, complete with heat and cooling, a roost and nice nesting box. It's been 4 days now and all is well with the world and the police never came. Strange as this sounds, it's been a pleasure to awaken to the sounds of life in this house. If you ever thought of doing this, let me know.I won't think you're crazy if you don't think I am.......drop us a line
 
I've never kept a full flock indoors 24/7, but I have had a few indoor birds. I had a cockerel a few years ago who spent most of his adolescence diapered or caged in the house. My girl Misha used to spend nights and mornings indoors but decided she would rather live outside and brood babies. We had 5 peafowls living in our house for a very long time as they grew up, one still visits frequently and often spends the night wrapped in towels asleep on my desk.

My sick bay and brooder are also currently located in my room, so I have six birds in there at the moment as well.

As long as they are happy it sounds like you are doing good! Be sure to give them an area to dustbathe and scratch. You might also consider building a fodder box; if you install a light designed for plants you can easily grow fresh greens for them to pick at!
 
I agree with @QueenMisha, as long as they're happy and heathy they should be fine. We housed my small flock of six birds in a penned off section of the garage for almost a year, and they did fine. Granted, they did have access to our yard in the day during the summer months.


Right now I have a hen in our basement 24/7 because she has crop issues and isn't able to handle our cold northern Minnesota winters, even with a heat lamp at night. Every time I put her back in the coop she loses weight until she's just skin and bones, so it looks like she'll be a permanent house resident.

@QueenMisha has given you a great idea with the fodder box.

Good luck with your birds!
 
Trying to stay under the radar in an HOA i had to bring them into the Dining room. It was fun. They got alot of attention and would go on field trips outside while most were at work. However you better like to dust!
 
the basement run is about 3-4" deep in shavings, which they scratch in almost nonstop. they get cracked corn, meal worms and grass clippings on an alternate schedule. I am building a box to hold sand today for the dust bath. Thanks for your reply and now I know I'm not the only one. By the way, we get 2 eggs every day so far :)
 
Sounds like you're doing great then!

Don't forget to add some fine dirt to the sand - sand alone doesn't really have the anti-parasitic properties that dirt does, because the granules are too large to really suffocate the bugs properly. You might add some wood ash too.
 
Just an update on keeping chickens in the basement, if you may be considering doing something like this. Thus far, everything is going very well. Lights are on timers and come on at 5 AM and go off at 7PM. I have a nightlight that is automatic and keeps a dim glow on the far end of the basement all night. The pen is cleaned daily, as we are retired, and smell is no issue and to be honest, we love the sound of the hens clucking when they wake up and after laying they are really quiet. I go down first thing to give fresh water and food and both are very tame and enjoy being held and petted. No regrets with bringing the girls inside....try it, you might be surprised with the results
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