I am in suburb of Houston. I have one RIR layer and a Barred Rock chick. It is so hot outside, I feel so sorry for them. My house is big enough I could keep them inside. I need suggestions for poop odor containment! My question is: What are some good ways to do this. I have a large dog kennel, but need suggestions for flooring/base. Pine shavings are so messy when she scratches. Could I use a kitty litter tray under the cage? Next: she knocks over her water all the time. Can chickens be trained to drink from rabbit type water bottles? I do let her free range for several hours also for dust bath etc. Thanks for any setups/suggestions.
We keep our chicks on towels when they are in the house. We have dedicated towels for them that get washed out every couple of days, we hose them off good before going in the laundry. Keeps them from making such a mess. Yes, chicks can be trained very easily to use rabbit waterers. Show them where it is and how it works by pushing their beak against the little ball.
I have nearly all of my chickens trained to drink from water bottles. It is so much easier to keep the water clean this way.
I have a handicapped pheasant that stays indoors 24/7 due to her challenges. She is on towels and I change them once or more a day. She also has a baby blanket to sleep on that is soft. Peepers wears bird diapers when on the carpet. She goes pantless on the tile and I just clean up after her. She is tiny though and her poop is a lot smaller than my outdoor standard hens. I would NOT use pine shavings in the house, you will HATE the amount of dust that it kicks up.