Chickens as house pets?

[kari_dawn]

you may also check with local law makers...sometimes chickens are excluded from the livestock umbrella, and even more so for "ornamental" breeds.

 

[chickened]

You may want to consider the health risks associated with co-habitation of chickens. They shed a lot of dander and some people have died from I think it was pigeon dander but not sure. If you have any lung/breathing issues it would not be healthy.

http://www.ehow.com/about_6400864_pet-birds-sinus-infections-humans.html

 

[Mudsow]

I beg to differ, I have indoor chickens. Yes, they do produce dust, and lots of it. And yes, I do have an air cleaner in the room the chickens are in, however, they are in a 2'x8' handmade cage. They are two bantam chickens, although I did have one lf chicken previously. They have plenty of room to run around, they have a small sandbox for dustbaths, sand isn't quite so dusty, but still lets them have fun. They also love to come out when I'm home and run around and play. They get crickets and mealworms, greens and varied diets.

Even when I take my chickens outside in the summer to wander in my yard with me and help me garden... they stick fairly close, or are following the dogs around. They seem perfectly happy as housepets. They thrive on seeing you when you come home, they are very interactive, MUCH more than a few parakeets imho.

Plus we get little edible eggs.

Again, they are much more work if kept indoors, but some of us don't mind, and neither do the chickens.

I don't think I'd take a full grown free range chicken and then lock them indoors, they would more than likely freak out, but raising them indoors, they get used to their surroundings. Again, pick breeds that do well in confinement and are docile, which I think Silkies would qualify, and enjoy having chickens.

No worries about predators, cold, heat, getting called in by neighbors. They make wonderful housepets.

 

[UrbanFarmerGreg]

Lots of good input to talk about here, chickens in diapers... sounds funny... but maybe we will have to check with the local law makers to see if chickens are included as livestock. finding a clear answer on that would make the decision much easier... We just figured that since it said no livestock it meant chickens, livestock to us means an animal that either provides for you its meat or something else like eggs(chickens), milk (cows), work(horse)... thanks for the suggestions, advice and concerns

 

[Mudsow]

This was my cage inspiration, we used to have guinea pigs...
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm

 

[UrbanFarmerGreg]

Thats a decent cage but you would definitely need a small chicken to keep in it... actually thats a really nice cage, the pigs must have loved it. Maybe if she wants them inside then she could build a much bigger cage for them...

 

[jeepguy982001]

Personally i wouldn't want to keep them inside. But to each their own long as they have a big enough cage and the poster is up for the extra cleaning i say go for it. Idk if the poultry is banned in her area maybe they could try to get a special permit from the town, or lobby to have poulty excluded from the law.

 

[stilldeb]

She can go to groups.yahoo.com and search for the group "House Chickens"...a whole group dedicated to keeping chickens indoors. She can probably get some advice there.

deb g

 

[nancypo]

I would say any animals that forages should be outside. I have 3 urban chcikens, with a nice coop and free range of the yard. Birds can become very self-destructive when confined and bored. I'd tell her to get another parrot, or a nice cat

 

[Mudsow]

I don't know, for me keeping a big parrot in those small cages is way more cruel than keeping a chicken in a nice sized indoor cage. Those parrots want to FLY. Not sit on a perch all day doing nothing. My chickens even though confined, have a sand box, different levels, room to move and stretch, enjoy the game of find the mealworms in the sandbox.... And again, love to come out and be part of the "flock" with the dogs and cats and humans being their "flock".

Plus there's the added bonus of being able to actually take your birds outside with you in the yard. I know most people would not be up for the challange of keeping indoor chickens just because of the mess, however, there are a few of us out there that actually enjoy taking care of our pets. It's not a "chore" it's enjoyable. Ok, maybe not so much like I'd rather pick up poop than see a movie kind of joy, but knowing that you are doing the best for your pet kind of joy.

I clean my indoor coop every day, it takes 5 minutes. And they get extreme happiness by trashing it by the next day.