Crate-Training a chicken (my experience)

[SarahGfa]

I have a 9-month old bantam living in a small wire crate for the last 2 months. I brought her indoors when she became paralized, then she gradually regained the ability to walk. After she got better, I noticed that she does not poop in her cage. When she wants to come out, she stands at the cage door and whines, and when I take her out she poops.

For the last 3 weeks, whenever she whines at the cage door, I pick her up and put her in a litterbox to poop. She always holds it from bedtime (around 6pm) until the next morning (8am). Today I left the cage open to see if she would go to the litterbox on her own. She came out of the cage and pooped next to the litterbox, but not in it.

I did not do any intentional training. Basically she developed this behavior on her own. When she was fully paralized, I put rolled towels around her in the cage to prop her up. It is possible that she now sees the cage as her nest, and does not want to poop in her nest.

I don't know if crate-training is useful for a chicken, but it is interesting to observe.

 

[N F C]

That is very interesting!

So is your bantam a full time house chicken now?

 

[aart]

I've had a few birds that wouldn't poop until they came out into the run in the morning,
found it interesting.....not sure they wouldn't poop in coop, but form size it sure appeared they had been 'holding' it.

Not sure that chickens are adverse to pooping where they eat (so to speak) or sleep like other animals(pigs and rabbits come to mind) but I suppose it's possible.

 

[SarahGfa]

That is very interesting!

So is your bantam a full time house chicken now?

She goes outside for most of the day (and poops everywhere). In the morning and evening she is in the house and I let her run around for 15-20 minutes at a time.