chickens as house pets? Opinions and views

[Chickassan]

Ohhh, I know where i'm taking Lulu on vacation next year! That parade needs more fat faverolles.I'd have to make her some bigger dresses and panties though, she's grown alot since the last time I dressed her fancy.

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A town near us (Diamond, MO) has an annual chicken pageant. Kids (and some adults) dress up their chickens and compete for prizes. It's really fun, and also a fundraiser event.
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[diamondsilkies]

I think I'll just add in my two cents. Personally, I don't keep my chickens in the house unless they're sick and need to be separated from the flock or if it's a small brood of chicks. However, I'm not going to put my input in on whether or not house chickens are a good idea, since I obviously don't know much about that. I will say that if you do keep one in the house, I would only allow it in certain rooms. Keep it out of the kitchen, for health reasons, and make sure the rooms that you do allow it in are easy to clean. From personal experience, I can tell you that chickens put off lots of dander, so dusting and cleaning the room will be essential.

Back to the original question: would silkies make good house pets? As you probably know already, silkies are a really friendly breed! You can train them, although I've never tried house training them. Mine simply come when called. In terms of which breeds make the best house pets, I'd definitely go with a silkie or some other bantam. A family friend of ours used to have one silkie rooster that lived in her house, named King Squeaky, and he was perfectly happy.

If I wanted a house chicken, I would raise it as a house chicken from day 1. If chickens are raised as outdoor chickens, my guess is that it would be very stressful for them to be confined to the house. I would also have two chickens, since my guess is that you won't be able to be with them all the time (going to school every day and all that). Chickens are very social creatures, and being by themselves (especially if raised with other chickens) can be very stressful on them.

Overall, I'd say it can be done, if you do it right. One of the big things is that you have to keep the chicken's happiness in mind. But you sound like you are very dedicated to your chickens, and want to do what's best for them, so I do believe you could make it work if you take advice from other people who have raised house chickens. And, like other people have said, chickens are a good hobby for kids to be into. Much better than some of the other stuff that's out there. Best of luck to you!

 

[MROO]

I just found my calling in life! You know how people dress their dogs. Put them in pretty little purses...I’ll make square bottom purses lined with pine shavings. Cut just right so the chickens head could stick out. The handles would snap at the top (to prevent jumping out). Make them bedazzled or country or what ever styles are requested. MrRoo since your a man it would be called a Murse (man purse). Ima millionaire Viola!!!

Funny! I had a Shih Tzu who had her own pink purse. Her poofy little head stuck out at pne end so that she looked like a googly-eyed pompom.
Oh - And MROO is not Mr. Roo, it's just M. Roo, shorthand for "The Melancholy Rooster." That's what the kids named our Chick-Inn (the coop.) It, in turn, is named after Herman, our Silkie rooster. His crow is so deep and forlorn that he sounds melancholy ... hence the nickname ... and I'm a Gal! Too funny!
Oh - and we wanna see PICTURES of the prototype!

 

[roosterhavoc]

Hatchimals would be easier to keep clean and you probably wouldn’t have any problems house training them either.

 

[MROO]

Have had several oriental games in the house. Quite entertaining. While not exactly potty trained, very easy to train to stay in restricted areas (not on the carpet). I can't speak for the degenerate barnyard breeds of chicken, have yet to see one interesting or personable enough to consider letting in the house. Some people let dogs in the house. Not much difference really.

Funny! The showy Oriental breeds were bred to be pets and enclosed garden ornaments for the upper classes. You know ... palace - aka "house" chickens!

 

[3LittleBirdies]

Warning, this is very long and just involves a possible method of potty training a chicken. Whether it is morally/politically/whatever inconsistent with your views please skip. My theory is that as long as the animal is not being harmed, then spending time clicker training a chicken will only enrich its life by providing relief from boredom and will definitely help bond a relationship that proabably would not have developed to the same depth except for time spent together training. I've seen the horror videos of assembly line egg layers and I have seen chickens treated better than most people.

I haven't tried house training a chicken yet, but.....I might. I have Seramas and I am so close to a couple of them. I HAVE house trained 2 of my conures, the third is adverse to potty training. Interestingly, it is my 2 girls that are potty trained.

So, with a parrot you have the convenience (or not) of the animal being very close physically, like on your shoulder) and can use that as part of the potty training technique. Pickles will start to lightly bite my ear (no pain) and Lady will do her potty dance. They will then "hold it" until I put my hand with the bird on it into their cage and give the command "go potty", and the bird then potties. I also used "Nature's Timing" as a major aid. My conures go naturally about every 20 minutes. So for the first couple of weeks I would go by the bird's cue AND time and then provide both a food (most important) and verbal reward. You will see in nature that birds have enough to control, even as babies, to poop out of the side or hole of the nest. Cleaner nests equal healthier birds. So birds of the parrot family do routinely become potty trained.

With a chicken I think I would have to start with clicker training. They actually respond quite well to it. Teach it a couple of tricks so it ABSOLUTELY knows that a click = correct behavior=food. Please do A LOT of research on clicker training and the methodology behind it, specifically in reference to chicken. I would then time your chickens' poops. Spend some time on this. Track them at different times of the day and while engaged in different behaviors. You really need to get this down.

Okay, so now said chicken can do a few cute tricks, make sure you only provide the best, most favorite coveted treat on earth for THAT particular chicken. Do not give this treat at any other time. Now for the fun part. You need to watch your chicken really really closely and either during or immediately after the poop you click. Then you act like that little dinosaur just laid a GOLD egg. Give the command (go potty is what I use) while the chicken poops and then reward it. Pretty soon the chicken WILL associate pooping with the command. After all, it gets a big fat mealworm (or whatever) for pooping! So the action should be: DESIRED BEHAVIOR (POOPING) = CLICK/VERBAL COMMAND = BEST TREAT IN THE WORLD; Stupid humans.

Now we are going to slowly turn the table on the chicken. Once you have determined that your bird poops, say, every 15 minutes, watch it very very closely, and when it is time, pick it up and place on the desired poop place and give the command. At this point you KNOW the bird has to go and the bird knows it has to go and then there is the matter of the meal worm....they'll catch on. I have no doubt. I have clicker trained dogs, cats, horses, sheep, birds and a hamster. There is even actual documentation and video of a goldfish being clicker trained to go through a loop. This is also the method that Sea World and most large animal trainers use as well. I know they have taught chickens to discriminate colors based on the colors name and even to play a little tune on a piano using clicker training.

Personally, I would start with one chicken and bring it in for longer and longer periods and just use little steps. You want to set the chicken up for success and you surely can't stare at the backend of a chicken for too long. But, as the chicken learns the whole process will become easier and easier. As far as a reward, you will progress to the jackpot system (same exact theory that causes humans to pull the slot machine handle over and over in the slim chance they'll hit a jackpot).

I really haven't thought this all the way out but first you need to pick a substrate that is special to the chicken and that the chicken will come to learn that this is for pooping on ONLY. Just remember, that this is going to be the chicken toilet, so if your family leaves the newspaper on the table on Sunday morning, you can not be angry at the chicken for pooping on the table. It is, after all, pooping on it's toilet. Then you need to configure the training stage. If you could limit the chickens indoor area (initially very small and easy to clean AND in a situation in which you can just relax AND keep on eye on that backside). Now for the toilet, once the chicken pretty much runs for you to fetch it's reward for pooping, lol, it is time for a toilet. Personally, I would jerry rig some type of small 3 sided contraption (preferably something like dog crate wire so the chicken doesn't dislike this area or feel to confined). Now, when you feel like a poop is on the way, carry your chicken to this cozy potty area, place her on the paper, stand in front of the only opening so she can't just walk out and just wait for her to poop. Click the clicker as she does, pop her a worm and act like that poop is gold. Don't let her make a mistake during this period. Better small steps than ruining all of the training.
If a mistake is made, and it WILL happen, just back up one step for a couple of days. Once the chicken can stay in a few hours and dependably use her potty area you can start to open up other areas and place a potty spot throughout the chicken's inside quarters. Removing the wiring around the potty spot can also be done. And the rewards will transition from every poop being rewarded, to an unreliable (jackpot) reinforcement method to extinction of any reward. A verbal, you go girl and a very occasional treat can be provided.

Can you potty train a chicken? I believe the answer is yes BUT with limitations. A chicken, unlike a dog, will most likely only be able to hold it for a very small time. So don't set expectations too high and make sure once it is all figured out that she is never too far from a potty spot. After all, we are asking her to change her basic behavior and replace it with a new one. Forcing her to hold it for too long could have detrimental effects on her system. Also, I think that keeping the animals entire being healthy is important. I certainly wouldn't isolate her from her flock mates for too long or limit natural foraging behaviors to a sterile indoor environment.

Perhaps you could even make a project of it. Take pictures or video of your steps, progress and setbacks. Perhaps your experience will inspire others. If nothing else is accomplished, you and your chicken will have a much better understanding of each other!

 

[MissChick@dee]

Funny! I had a Shih Tzu who had her own pink purse. Her poofy little head stuck out at pne end so that she looked like a googly-eyed pompom.
Oh - And MROO is not Mr. Roo, it's just M. Roo, shorthand for "The Melancholy Rooster." That's what the kids named our Chick-Inn (the coop.) It, in turn, is named after Herman, our Silkie rooster. His crow is so deep and forlorn that he sounds melancholy ... hence the nickname ... and I'm a Gal! Too funny!
Oh - and we wanna see PICTURES of the prototype!

Oh I’ve done it AGAIN! I’m sorry MRoo. I’ll get on that prototype just as soon as I’m done spitting out all this crow in my mouth!

 

[Kessel23]

No, I have.
I get your point.
But there's a difference with a broody, she holds her poop in for a reson, to leave the nest as little as possible. that's her broody hormones.
Normal chicken behavior though, stop and drop it where ever it's standing lol.

Yes but they do have muscles down there and they can hold in their poop. I never said you could housebreak them though, I am just saying, chickens do have muscles down there and they can hold their poop in.

 

[MROO]

Yes but they do have muscles down there and they can hold in their poop. I never said you could housebreak them though, I am just saying, chickens do have muscles down there and they can hold their poop in.

Of COURSE they can hold it in. How many times has your favorite waited until the exact moment you snuggle her against your new shirt before letting loose? I'm tellin' ya now ... she PLANNED it!

 

[MROO]

Hatchimals would be easier to keep clean and you probably wouldn’t have any problems house training them either.

They'd certainly be easier to housebreak, but not nearly as much fun to snuggle!