Can I keep my chicks indoors?

[Helenambm10]

I don't know if this is a dumb question but is it bad to raise chicks indoors? The only reason I ask is to know if they'll make my house stink up and what about the dust they release when they shed their feathers? I was just wondering if it is or isn't a good idea. Also are there any other ways that y'all would recommend I raise them?

 

[Rose Quartz]

I don't know if this is a dumb question but is it bad to raise chicks indoors? The only reason I ask is to know if they'll make my house stink up and what about the dust they release when they shed their feathers? I was just wondering if it is or isn't a good idea. Also are there any other ways that y'all would recommend I raise them?

They do make a lot of dust. And after 1 week of age if you dont change the bedding every day (im thinking like 8 chicks) its gonna smell. That being said ive kept chicks in my house every time. I have some righg now.

I would highly recommend the mama heating pad. Especially if youre keeping them inside they dont chirp all hours of the day and night. I have the sunbeam heating pad that has a no auto off selection. And i have that in a pillow case to keep it mostly clean, set on top of a cooling rack for baked goods.

Theyre quiet and happy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't think it's right or wrong to raise them indoors, it's mostly based on your tolerance. I raised my first chicks inside a bathroom with a heat lamp, after 5 weeks the smell was bad because they kept knocking the water into the bedding and the oily dander they created went up the walls about 6' and out 6'.

On my second batch of chicks now. They're being brooded outside with a heating pad, set up is here. I feel it's a lot easier on both chicks and humans to raise them outside as cleanup is a lot less of a hassle and the chicks are acclimating to temperature (and my hens) faster.

 

[Flamens Farm]

I incubate my eggs inside and start their first couple of weeks inside so I can closely monitor them and then move them to the brooder setup outside where I can still see them from my window until they can be moved to their own pen. I have 20 chicks, 2 guineas and 3 ducks in the outside brooder right now and (14)day old guineas and 3 chicks so far in one of the inside brooders, starting tomorrow the chicks number should be going up from incubator #2. I change their bedding (inside brooder) which is paper towels right now on a regular basis so there is little to no odor. In a week I will then put hay as their bedding and by the end of that week they go to the outside brooder and I will then be getting ready for Incubator #1 to start hatching out again a week after that. Want more turkeys this year so we will see. I don't really notice much noise from my chicks until they are 2 weeks old and then they are being moved. Whatever your decision is that you make will be the best one for your needs because we all do something different.

 

[Blooie]

I make life easy on myself. Mine are in under Mama Heating Pad for the first day or so in a wire dog kennel. I want to watch for shipping stress or hatching stress, and make sure they are eating, drinking, and know how to duck under Mama Heating Pad for warmth, then out they go with their heating pad and the crate is folded up and tucked away. No switching from brooder to brooder, major transitions when they've had weeks indoors, and even though our springtime "chick season" temps are in the twenties, dropping into the teens, they do so much better.

Of course you can raise them indoors. I did - once. Couldn't handle the dust and mess and they got evicted at 5.5 weeks old, ready or not. Never again.

They have a wire enclosure in our covered run and the adults can wander around on 3 sides. By 3 weeks heat is turned way down and they can mingle with the adults. By 4 weeks they are off all heat, we have full integration, and the brooder pen is torn down. They are used to sleeping at night because they have never known artificial lights, and regulating their own needs very well.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors.68067/

 

[lazy gardener]

Like Blooie, I give them a short bit inside. For me, it's a very short while as they transition from incubator to MHP. When the last chick is out of the bator, I move them all downstairs to my garage. They stay there until they are all eating and drinking well. Then, it's out they go! (usually 24 - 48 hours) Last season, I had a couple of chicks that needed NICU for a bit. So, it was a few extra days before I moved the whole lot of them out to their grow out coop.

I have respiratory issues, so the dander is a huge issue for me, even with the chicks in the garage, which is under my bedrooms.

 

[CCUK]

My chicks are indoors at the moment. They are In my livingroom! They are 3 weeks old. I want them out by 5 weeks. They don't really smell but they do make a bit of a mess when they're scratching about. They have a chictek brooder plate but spend most time sat on it than under it!

The light is just a normal low energy bulb. Not a headlight.

 

[BirdGal]

Do whatever works best for your situation. Main thing is the chicks are warm and safe while easy for you to care for. If you need to keep them in house,Just keep them in a small room that can be easily cleaned,and you can find the chicks if they should happen to escape.
I also use extra cardboard or tarp under,around brooder to make cleanup much easier. Preferably keep away from carpet as hard to clean accidents and everything else associated with birds. Keep them safe from other pets. Usually not a problem if you plan ahead and don't have allergies.

 

[Ridgerunner]

First of all, lots of people raise them indoors. It can be done. But I like to stay married to my current wife so I don't. The issues with raising them indoors are the possible noise, the possible smell, and the dust. These things don't seem to bother many people but they do others. And some people have techniques to minimize the problems. Hopefully no one in your family is allergic to chickens.

I don't know anything about your situation or what is available outside. What will the weather be when you have the chicks? Do you have your coop yet? Adult chickens? Electricity to the coop or any outbuilding? How many chicks? It's hard to come up with specific options when you don't know what yo are dealing with. So I'll try to be generic.

What you need in a brooder is feed, water, protection from predators, and protection from the environment (mainly rain and wind). It needs to be big enough so they can grow, they grow really fast. And they need a warm spot. To me the ideal brooder has one spot that is warm enough that they can go to when they need to warm up but also has much cooler areas they can go to if they need to cool off. There have been times I've had chicks in my brooder in the coop with the outside temperatures below freezing. One end of my brooder is toasty but the far end might have ice in it. As long as that one spot is warm enough they can manage quite well. But you don't want the entire brooder getting too hot, that can be dangerous.

There are several ways to provide that warm spot. I use heat lamps but incandescent bulbs, heating pads, heating plates, emitters, hovers, and other things can work great in the right situations. You generally need electricity though. That can be the problem.

If your coop is built, you don't have older chicken in it, and you have electricity you can brood directly in there. If you have older chickens, you can build a brooder in part of the coop if your coop is big enough. If you have another outbuilding with electricity like a shed you can a brooder in that. Some people brood in an attached garage. You will still get the dust and possibly smell but it's better than in your house. There are a lot of "if's" involved because we don't know what you have to work with. The more info you can give us about what you have to work with the better we can tailor our suggestions to your specific situation.

 

[chicken lady 77]

I don't know if this is a dumb question but is it bad to raise chicks indoors? The only reason I ask is to know if they'll make my house stink up and what about the dust they release when they shed their feathers? I was just wondering if it is or isn't a good idea. Also are there any other ways that y'all would recommend I raise them?

Mine are five days old today and they are in the house, and will be probably for the first month or so, then I will move them in a cage outside. I use hay on the bottom of my cage with a heat lamp over one corner. I just change out the hay when I notice too much poo!