Am I nuts!?!

[Feathered Wings]

Quote:
This is my thinking also as chickens create a huge amount of dust and it is micro fine and comes from dried Poop, Feather fluff,Skin Dander,Litter or them dusting in the litter and even from the feed.
I would definitely be concerned over the amount in the air as it has been known to cause allergy's and lung problems.

I see mine preen in the rays of the sun outside and it's amazing what you can see coming off.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

oh heck, plenty of peolpe keep that many cats, dogs, rats, parrotts etc in their house.
Your not nuts and half of them are for your kids 4-H and that's a learning project for them.
It sounds like you have a nice clean comfortable area for the birds and have thought out ventilation etc. I like the suggestion of a plastic pool with straw for foraging breaks in the winter.
I've never had seremas, but am assuming they are near the same size as silkies which I do have, and which would happily/easily adapt to house living.
Good luck and post a pic of the indoor coop when you are done!

 

[riftnreef]

I was a little worried about the dust myself...however the only openings are the top of the wall between the floor joist, but I cut some carbon furnace filter pad and filled the holes with that...the only other way for dust to make it upstairs is through the floor, carpet ect..I'm sure some will, but I don't think it will be too bad (at least I hope!). My plan for the bulk of the mess is to use poop boards under the roosts, and first thing every morning scrape them into a dedicated bucket and take it out when I do the rest of my AM chores. I think that will keep the funk to a minimum...as for dogs/cats/etc...I can't agree more...at last chicken poo stops smelling after 20-30 min....a nice dog pile will stink for days if you don't pick it up...

Granted dogs don't go every 3 minutes and in the house...at least no dog that man would tollerate!

 

[elmo]

Plenty of people in Malaysia keep Seramas as indoor pets, so it certainly can be done. And it seems to me that you've already thought through a lot of the issues. One thing about your lighting: make sure your bulb provides UVB light; either that, or you can provide Vitamin D supplementation, or bring your chickens outside to run around on a sunny day once in a while (not a bad idea in any event).