Can you keep chickens in your house

[austincoopersilkiesies]

Can you keep a chicken in your house wat do you need to do this a cage or what what about their poop.

 

[Felony]

I tried to keep two chickens inside until spring because they had frostbite but after only a couple of days, I gave up, even with the best intentions. If you really want to keep chickens indoor, I would suggest you make them a special ''indoor coop'' so that the shavings dont go all over the place and so that it is easy to clean the litter and the floor of the pen often. If you don't want your place to smell like chicken poop, you will have to pick their droppings out of the litter at least once a day and change the entire litter very often too. I don't know if it would be possible to keep them in a pen with a wire mesh floor, so that the droppings would fall through, but I just thought it would be uncomfortable for them after a while... Also, they make a crazy amount of dust (dander) so I would keep them in a seperate chicken room. If you do it try to put them next to a window, after all chickens are made to be outside so I'm sure they would appreciate a view! In my personnal experience, I would not do it again...even as crazy as I am

 

[AlienChick]

If you don't mind the god-awful smell and the incredible piles of dust (not to mention the NOISE), then sure you can keep them inside.
Just make them a cage big enough (4 sq ft per bird).

 

[austincoopersilkiesies]

Ok my friend wants one but cant build stuff like a coop and i was wondering wat if you put a diaper on them and confined them to a cage while your away

 

[DCasper]

Out of the brooder...out of the house.

 

[nurse_turtle]

My house chicken Annie-Belle says, "NO, you cannot keep chickens in the house". She has lived in the house for over 6 months now (long long story) and I may try to integrate her outdoors this spring. Of note, she is a rooster who crows several times during the day and night.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Ok my friend wants one but cant build stuff like a coop and i was wondering wat if you put a diaper on them and confined them to a cage while your away

Well yes, technically you could but is the chicken going to be happy, sitting by itself all day in a cage? Chickens are very social creatures and prefer to be part of a flock. They also love to spend their day scratching in the dirt, foraging for bugs or whatever, sunbathing, digging holes for dust bathing, etc. etc.

I know the friend wants one but sometimes one has to consider if the desired animal is the right fit and if you can give that animal the kind of life most fitting to it's natural tendencies.

 

[austincoopersilkiesies]

Well yes, technically you could but is the chicken going to be happy, sitting by itself all day in a cage?  Chickens are very social creatures and prefer to be part of a flock.  They also love to spend their day scratching in the dirt, foraging for bugs or whatever, sunbathing, digging holes for dust bathing, etc. etc.  

I know the friend wants one but sometimes one has to consider if the desired animal is the right fit and if you can give that animal the kind of life most fitting to it's natural tendencies.

now what if they had like meal worms buried in the cage so they can dig for bugs and have it deepcenough for them to dig and what if they could sun bathe

 

[KalyAn]

I have been wondering if our greenhouse attached to the house would be suitable as a winter coop? When outdoor temps are regularly less than 32 Deg at night. Glass panes, coated aluminum framing, concrete floor, piped water fm house, electricity. Half for my plants, outer half for the chickens with exit door to outside. Heated to 45 to 55 degree. Would have to determine what to do when sun heats to more than mid 70's. Their side has two gable mounted fans that exhaust air drawn from automatic shuttered window or manually opened small awning windows. Obviously would need to clean their half how frequently? Would litter be necessary. Perhaps grow grass flats and rotate into the chicken half. Thoughts??

 

[AlienChick]

If you’re determined to keep chickens inside the house and you’re satisfied with the smell and dust as well as all the mess from the litter, then I would advise keeping more than one chicken since they are VERY social creatures. (A minimum of 3 would be best.)
Also, make them a little playpen for going outdoors so they can get some sunshine and eat some grass and bugs. They’ll LOVE you for it!
I made a little playpen for my chicks out of some plastic PVC piping that all the hardware stores sell.