Best Indoor Setup.

[HouseSilkies]

I’m going to be raising 2-3 silkies as house chickens once spring hits.

I want them to have their own area to be chickens, and I’m wondering which idea you think is most practical.

Idea #1. A 5ft by 5ft fabric pen with a top and bottom. I would use absorbent fleece liners to absorb liquid and would pick up and flush poops as I see them and change the liner out every few days.

Idea #2. A 48 inch wire dog crate. I would use either fleece liners or shavings.

Idea #3. Letting them roam my entire bedroom throughout the day diapered.

If they could be litter trained for the most part I wouldn’t think twice about them having the whole room, but as they can’t it’s a tough decision. Be diapered all day probably isn’t very comfortable despite often changes, but being confined instead might not be their preference.

They will be brought outside in the summer to sunbathe and hunt for bugs, and let out of the pen frequently for free time when I can watch them. The pen will mostly be for at night and a few hours during the day.

Thanks.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Im not judging here at all and I honestly and truly hope this works out for you, but if you actually want them "to be chickens" then your house may not be the place for them.
All three scenarios prevent or significantly reduce natural chicken behaviors.

Again, I wish you the best of luck with your pets and hope that the system you decide on results in happy, healthy birds and persons.
Good luck!

 

[Mellowmalt]

this plan is meant to fail long term imo and is thus not fair on the chickens. The smell will become unbearable and then what? Option 2 is the most feasible if the shavings are replaced with a lino. Guess they would still have a better existence then a caged hen but they are farm animals. So the only reason not to give them an outdoor run is for entertainment purposes and I can't really condone that, there are better pets that tolerate it far better than chickens

 

[HouseSilkies]

I guess they’ll just go out with the other chickens then...won’t they get hurt though?

 

[Acre4Me]

Personally, not an indoor chicken person, but others certainly are. This isn't a path I would see myself pursuing, but that's me and I'm not the one asking the question!

It seems that when an individual keeps a chicken indoors, they develop some kind of system. And it seems that Silkies and Bantams are popular for indoor living.

I've never raised Silkies, but I have heard that they can get injured or picked on by regular flock chickens. Guess it depends on your flock.

If I were in a situation where I wanted/needed to have a chicken indoors for an extended period of time, here are my thoughts:

1. Dust. Chickens are dusty. Their feather shafts create dust. They scratch and poop. Poop dries and can create dust. However, you could minimize the dust by not using shavings - use thick fabric instead for their cage/enclosure. You'll have to remove droppings and wash the fabric, maybe daily so you would need several fabric pads to cycle through.

2. Location: Personally, I would not keep them in my bedroom. Noise and dust issues. But, if that is what works best, then ok. Personally, I'd want to interact with them during the day in the common room or keep them in an extra unused room or similar.

3. Cleanliness. I'd probably find myself washing them on occasion. I've washed many a chicken in prep for a county show - Most tolerate the water, some hate it, but nearly all my chickens have been washed in cold water during the summer in an unfamiliar location, so they were more stressed than an indoor chicken would be - plus, an indoor chicken would likely get a warm bath. They all LOVE the hairdryer. I use a very mild and unscented soap. Most animal shampoos are scented, so i have gone with an all-natural baby bottle soap sold in Walmart baby section. The reason I use this one is because it creates little suds and rinses off very easily. You might find some mild baby shampoo that could work. When I say "on occasion" I don't know how frequently this would be...maybe I would do it once a quarter or once a month...I don't really know. But, their feet - I would have to watch for that - they walk in their poop, then if they are walking around your home....That would be an issue for me. So, If I had an indoor chicken, I would guess I would rinse off their feet (or wash them) as soon I diapered them to let them roam indoors for the next few hours.

4. Diapers: you are right in thinking it probably isn't great to keep them diapered for a significant portion of the day. I've never used chicken diapers, so I don't know how messy they can be or how often one should change them. I would assume that if I had an indoor chicken, then any diaper usage would be for when they were roaming the home, then off when in their enclosure or cage.

5. Smell: Some people are not sensitive to the smell of their animals. So, kinda personal here. to minimize any smell, cleanliness is important. Even if you are not sensitive to it, then be aware that you will still want to have a management system to remove smell causing poop on a regular basis. Fragrance isn't the solution. Too much is bad for the chicken respiratory system.

Search BYC for indoor chicken threads. You never know what you will find.

 

[HouseSilkies]

Personally, not an indoor chicken person, but others certainly are. This isn't a path I would see myself pursuing, but that's me and I'm not the one asking the question!

It seems that when an individual keeps a chicken indoors, they develop some kind of system. And it seems that Silkies and Bantams are popular for indoor living.

I've never raised Silkies, but I have heard that they can get injured or picked on by regular flock chickens. Guess it depends on your flock.

If I were in a situation where I wanted/needed to have a chicken indoors for an extended period of time, here are my thoughts:

1. Dust. Chickens are dusty. Their feather shafts create dust. They scratch and poop. Poop dries and can create dust. However, you could minimize the dust by not using shavings - use thick fabric instead for their cage/enclosure. You'll have to remove droppings and wash the fabric, maybe daily so you would need several fabric pads to cycle through.

2. Location: Personally, I would not keep them in my bedroom. Noise and dust issues. But, if that is what works best, then ok. Personally, I'd want to interact with them during the day in the common room or keep them in an extra unused room or similar.

3. Cleanliness. I'd probably find myself washing them on occasion. I've washed many a chicken in prep for a county show - Most tolerate the water, some hate it, but nearly all my chickens have been washed in cold water during the summer in an unfamiliar location, so they were more stressed than an indoor chicken would be - plus, an indoor chicken would likely get a warm bath. They all LOVE the hairdryer. I use a very mild and unscented soap. Most animal shampoos are scented, so i have gone with an all-natural baby bottle soap sold in Walmart baby section. The reason I use this one is because it creates little suds and rinses off very easily. You might find some mild baby shampoo that could work. When I say "on occasion" I don't know how frequently this would be...maybe I would do it once a quarter or once a month...I don't really know. But, their feet - I would have to watch for that - they walk in their poop, then if they are walking around your home....That would be an issue for me. So, If I had an indoor chicken, I would guess I would rinse off their feet (or wash them) as soon I diapered them to let them roam indoors for the next few hours.

4. Diapers: you are right in thinking it probably isn't great to keep them diapered for a significant portion of the day. I've never used chicken diapers, so I don't know how messy they can be or how often one should change them. I would assume that if I had an indoor chicken, then any diaper usage would be for when they were roaming the home, then off when in their enclosure or cage.

5. Smell: Some people are not sensitive to the smell of their animals. So, kinda personal here. to minimize any smell, cleanliness is important. Even if you are not sensitive to it, then be aware that you will still want to have a management system to remove smell causing poop on a regular basis. Fragrance isn't the solution. Too much is bad for the chicken respiratory system.

Search BYC for indoor chicken threads. You never know what you will find.

The flock will consist of 18 good egg layers, six of three different kinds. We haven’t decided on the kinds yet. I’m just worried about the silkies getting picked on and injured.

Thank you so much for the very detailed reply! I really appreciate it. I suppose we could also build two coops, one for silkies and one for the layers.

My room has a large air purifier already, which I had assumed would help with dust.

A system would definitely be worked out. I currently have two dogs that can’t be in the same room so they are on a rotation system currently.

Thank you so much for the help! I’ve read nearly every indoor chicken thread on here that I could find, which led me to believe I could have happy house chickens.