can chickens live in your home premenantly

[nooty2007]

i was thinking of getting one chicken and i wanted to know if i could keep it as a house pet. also what would be the sssential things i would need ?

 

[Poultrybonkers]

chickens are flock animals they prefer a flock and to be outside scratching around not inside a house

 

[Ridgerunner]

I personally would never do it but some people do. I've seen posts where one person leaves his door open and a chicken comes inside to lay its daily egg. A very popular person on this forum I might add. I've seen posts where people keep them in cages and others let them roam around. Sometimes with diapers and some without. I've seen a post or two on here asking about how to housebreak a chicken.

On of my memories of this forum was a Sunday morning several years back. A lady was typing on a social type thread and excused herself. Her hen was perched on her shoulder as she typed and she had to go clean her hair. That one is hard to forget.

Just because I would never do something like that doesn't mean that others won't. I don't have any experience in that so can't really help, but what did you have in mind?

 

[pasdechat73]

i was thinking of getting one chicken and i wanted to know if i could keep it as a house pet. also what would be the sssential things i would need ?

I am one of those odd birds that let's her chickens in the house. Heck, my guinea fowl will even come in when the mood strikes him! But its very difficult to keep them in the house permanently. The longest I've had one in the house is 6 months and that's because she was in a therapy chair 50% of the time. I still had to bring her out every hour (weather permitting) to get all the essential nutrients the outdoors has to offer and let her exercise in peace. I had her somewhat potty trained but I was constantly cleaning as she had a very good appetite in spite of loosing her mobility. Think of a toddler with no table manners, if you will. That was Noel.

But yes, mine love to come inside, eat the dog food, trip out on the hard wood floors (or skate!), love walking up the stairs, climbing on the cat tree, and sitting on the couch. My roo even sits by the fireplace and will watch the telly with us. But he's one I had inside for 3 months after a coyote attack. He's a different type of magic all together However, I do believe they need to have an outdoor life too. It's in their DNA...

 

[Mtnboomer]

Forgive my ignorance, but what do you do with all the poop!? In the house!? How do you keep things sanitized?

Not judging. People love their chickens. But holy Toledo Batman!

 

[pasdechat73]

Forgive my ignorance, but what do you do with all the poop!? In the house!? How do you keep things sanitized?

Not judging. People love their chickens. But holy Toledo Batman!

Ha! No worries. The only time I get a poop onslaught is when a gang of them sneak into the house. Someone will leave the door open and suddenly I have a bunch of bandits fighting over the dog food.

We also have hardwood floors (no carpet - thank god!), and to be honest, they get tired of being inside really quick? The chickens, as much as we love to have them inside, would rather be outside. They're like kids in that sense...they get bored really quick. The only time I have them in for long periods are isolated incidences such as getting sick, being attacked, and then needing rehab. But yes, mine come in and out to say hello, steal some dog food, and get a hug. And they also love the cat tree. We live in the mountains so they like to perch on it and watch what's going on outside with the birds who fly high

 

[Mtnboomer]

Ha! No worries. The only time I get a poop onslaught is when a gang of them sneak into the house. Someone will leave the door open and suddenly I have a bunch of bandits fighting over the dog food.

We also have hardwood floors (no carpet - thank god!), and to be honest, they get tired of being inside really quick? The chickens, as much as we love to have them inside, would rather be outside. They're like kids in that sense...they get bored really quick. The only time I have them in for long periods are isolated incidences such as getting sick, being attacked, and then needing rehab. But yes, mine come in and out to say hello, steal some dog food, and get a hug. And they also love the cat tree. We live in the mountains so they like to perch on it and watch what's going on outside with the birds who fly high

I live in the mtns too. Hardwood floors..check. on nice days, i literally lock the kids outside and we take advantage to get work done and make time for play. Or the doors are wide open to enjoy the fresh air. My chickens have followed their curiosity inside a few times but when the first gift was left on the floor, it was off limits after that.
Since then they know that the porch is all the farther they can go.

 

[nooty2007]

i can take her outside once a day if that would work . i can’t really leave her outside because we don’t have that much space and it’s very cold . i was thinking the chicken could adapt to living indoor if i bought it as a chick

 

[rosemarythyme]

i can take her outside once a day if that would work . i can’t really leave her outside because we don’t have that much space and it’s very cold . i was thinking the chicken could adapt to living indoor if i bought it as a chick

What breed of chicken would this be?

How much time out is "taking it out once a day"? Chickens want to scratch and forage and roll around in dirt. Do you actually have usable outside space to allow for that?

Chickens are flock animals and want to be with their flock most of the day. Realistically how much time do you have to spend with it a day?

They also create a lot of dander. Do you live with anyone who might have allergies or health issues that would be aggravated by the dander a bird puts out.

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

i was thinking of getting one chicken and i wanted to know if i could keep it as a house pet. also what would be the sssential things i would need ?

I guess they can, But I wouldn't let them. that will be very filthy and unsanitary.