Raising Chickens in an Apartment

[IdealisticRoo]

Growing up our parents knew an old lady named Hattie that kept 2 geese in her bathtub!

She had purple hair and was about 10-yr-old child height!

We were not allowed to use the bathroom when we went to visit her!

I can't wait until I am old enough to have purple hair and keep livestock inside! If I did it now, it would just be called "weird", but if I do it when I am old, then it will just be "eccentric"!

 

[mylittlechickpea]

Quote:
Ditto. I don't think I'd personally want to do it either, but the OP wanted to know how to make it work. Hey, look at battery farms, they raise their VERY high strung leghrons 6-8 to a wire cage and they never go outside. There is always the counter arguement of how "pet birds" belong in the wild too. If you go for any "indoor breed" Get something known to be calm like a silkie. Not soemthing like a leghorn. Scare one of those and the whole house will be covered in shavings.

I have a little white leghorn that is half inside/half outside. She is pretty calm and chill for the most part. Though we don't have any other animals to bother her.. Except the fish, but she drinks their water, so I don't think that's a problem... She's just not a big fan of change.. It takes quite a bit to scare her, she a touch little bird

We also have a pretty small backyard too, but there is a patch of dirt about 5x3, I tried growing grass but she killed it. And I hose off the concrete everyday 2x.

 

[mylittlechickpea]

Ooops! Didn't realize this was an old thread

Anywho my little chickie loves indoor time! Need to make her a new diaper, since she outgrew the other one

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Quote:
mylittlechickpea - Wow, Please put up pictures of your white leghorn hen!

Do you get any eggs from her? How old is she? Are you in an apartment, condo or house?

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Quote:
A diaper! Now I really want to see a picture!

I found this old thread when I searched "apartment chicken", so I posted to it. I didn't know for sure, but I read something in the rules about not starting new threads all the time, so... I hope I did it right.

 

[Carols Clucks]

I know this is an old thread, but can I just say YIKES!!!

I would love to know how it went.



As an apt manager, I can say that while some of you might be able to pull this off, it is the rest that make buildings say "No Pets Allowed"

From people who kept rabbits in the bathroom, the people that used a bedroom as an aviary (with poop on the walls for texture) to the girl that opened a bag of dog food and left the lid up and took off for a month vacation............. It is the one bad apple that costs a property owner thousands that restrict everyone else after them.


And FYI, an indoor duck is NOT a good idea! Spent a good part of the summer cleaning up after one (frat boys...go figure)

 

[mylittlechickpea]

Here is the last one I made for her. It's now on the bulliten board at the feed store so I can try to sell some.. P.S. The fish bowl behind her is the one she likes to drink from..

And here's her favorite activity in the house

She's been full time outside for about a month because I've been too busy to make a new diaper. And this is her new favorite activity... Making messes

 

[abhaya]

I would go for a very calm breed and a banty. I am thinking silkie. With a coop and a small "run" rabbit hutch or something they would be ok. And only girls you dont need a roo crowing. Buut that is not a normal/natural life for the animal. I would discourage anyone from keeping a chicken in such confined space.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

I thought about silkies, but my experience has been bad with them. The ones I have had have been sickly and moody, either aggressive or sulking alone.

I like the OEGB (and the umpteen varieties), because they are smaller (hens approx 20-22 oz.) Ideal included 4 OEGB in my bantam assortment, I had good luck on finding a really big cage at a yard sale for $7, I don't have an apartment in the city right now, because I live in the country with my family.

I do have the 4 OEGB and the 3 Japanese in the cage currently, because these little kids are being stepped on by my other chicks (same age, but LF BA and Bantam Cornish, Cochin and Silkies) - all of which are much larger, the difference is sparrow to pigeon!

I agree on the "no roosters" statement - that would be noisy! 1 of the OEGB and 1 of the Japanese are boys, so they are in the playpen with their sisters for right now.

I am going to try them in the cage in my room here in the country before taking them to the city and see if I even want chickens in a cage in my hypothetical future apartment!

In the meantime, I would really love to hear from anyone with pictures or stories of indoor chickens!

 

[write2caroline]

Okay - Probably yes you could raise chickens on a porch. I would limit it to two or three but really - two. I would also make sure your coop has an easy tilting poop board so you can clean it often so you can control the smell. Cuz anything that eats poops and it does not smell like roses. Some of my girls are very quiet, even when laying eggs and others - OMGosh they announce it to the World laying an EEEEEEEEEGGGGGG!!!!! If you can control the cleanliness of the coop then they are no harder to keep than a parrot or other bird and probably more quiet than my neighbors macaw. They actually also make chicken diapers. One nosey neighbor complaint will end your experiment. Mean People are ridiculous and complain about most anything - so if you are willing to accept the consequences if the chickens are discovered then go for it!
Caroline