Can I raise chicks/ chicken indoors?

[Smartie_Pants]

Yess, there is. I don't want to be rude about it though, but the message may have come off that way. I just think that if there is no regulation against them, why not keep them outside like they are meant to be? And if there is a regulation, usually its for a reason, so find out why they don't want you to do it before you just go ahead with it. Keeping chickens outside is a 24/7 job, can you imagine all the things required inside? People just need to be sure they are up for it before they get chickens. Usually they don't think about the cute little fuzzy butts growing into big pain in the butts and that's why so many are mistreated and dumped.

Some of us know how to keep PETS indoors.

LOL! I just don't want anyone to get them and not be prepared for all that goes into it. That's not fair to the chickens. Get what I'm saying? Didn't mean to offend anyone.​

 

[mtnhomechick]

I didn't read the previous posts. I have ONE WORD. HISTOPLAMSMOSIS. Google it.

Self explanatory.

Good Luck,

Mary

 

[seriousbill]

Quote:

Some of us know how to keep PETS indoors.

LOL! I just don't want anyone to get them and not be prepared for all that goes into it. That's not fair to the chickens. Get what I'm saying? Didn't mean to offend anyone.​

Smartie_Pants, it's good that you are making people aware, especially newbies who are unaware that even baby chicks produce large amounts of dust and that older chickens also have large, smelly droppings. And it is possible that having pet chickens indoors could pose a health risk, whether it be mild or otherwise. Histoplasmosis has been mentioned, but there are other considerations as well that have to do with breathing the dust, like simple allergies. Particularly if you have other pet birds in your home, you should also be aware that it could pose a serious and immediate risk to them. Some types of birds, like Macaws, are especially sensitive to feather dust from other species. I have always been very careful to brood chicks well away from my parrots.

I wouldn't think anyone would be offended by the truth...

 

[Sissy]

Welcome ,
sounds like aTown Hall meeting LOL

 

[gritsar]

Smartie_Pants, when I read your original post I wanted to stand right up and applaud you.

I love my chickens as much as the next person. Maybe more than some because they have really helped me deal with alot of problems in my life right now. That being said, they are still livestock. They love to be outdoors and foraging. That's what is natural to them.

I can see having maybe one or two house chickens, but all of them? No way. I have from time to time thought of bringing Lil'Bit in because she's disabled. Still I think in the long run being outside with the flock is what's best for her. She gets the benefit of fresh air and sunshine and a natural diet.

They can still be pets and live outside. My outside pets get just as much care of my inside one (my elderly dog).

 

[jossanne]

I just moved my 24 8wk chicks outside this week. I was MORE than ready for the day to arrive. They are smelly and dusty, and my house was getting embarrassing!

That being said, it is possible to have them in. I could have stood them a lot longer if I didn't have so many. I kept half of them in a big pumpkin box from walmart, and the other half in two Rubbermaid tubs.

I also have a nearly-adult house chicken at the moment. She was picked terribly, and I had nowhere else to put her, so she's running free in my house wearing a diaper. She can see the other chickens through our glass doors, and it drives her crazy being in. Hopefully her crest will be fully feathered and fluffy within the week, and she can move back out. She's a great pet, but I'm tired of changing chicken diapers, after many years of people in diapers LOL. She would be much happier in the house if she had a chicken friend, but she gets along well with the dogs who are in here most of the time, so she's not all alone.

Good luck with the decision. Either way, you can do it.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Quote:
I have a duck who had a stroke shortly after he was born. He has physical and mental disabilities now and I have though of bringing him in more than once, but he wouldn't be happy. He loves splashing in ice cold water and chasing down all the other ducks just for kicks. He would never be happy inside. That's like taking a deer and saying it could never go outside. They just wouldn't be happy.

Not to mention (again) all of the health risks, to you and them. Who knows what household cleaners and products woud do to them.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

**edited to remove unhelpful remark**

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Ladyhawke, the original question in this thread is not "should" a person raise chickens indoors. The OP wants to know, is it possible to do?

If you have some constructive advice to offer about how to go about raising them indoors, please feel free to share. How do you raise them indoors successfully? What supplies and considerations are needed?

Let's not turn this thread into a debate, because it certainly didn't start out as one.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

**edited to remove continued unhelpfulness and flaming. Enjoy your time out.**