Do you REALLY let them in your home??

[Attack Chicken]

Quote:

Same here!

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
I have been guilty of keeping my chicks inside longer than I should, simply because I hated putting them outside where I wouldn't see 'em every time I went to visit them (the only bathroom I have is the Nursery). Especially in the colder time of the year. After all, it's not really safe to have extension cords running across the yard to the coop... (although I did that with the first batch of chicks I raised - they were 10 weeks old IN DECEMBER).

 

[lilchick]

i kept some of my favorites in the basement for years and would spend alot of time down there with them. Radio on and a night light for them.

When I got my serama I knew he would become a house chicken. He has a three level cage with plenty of room. He watches t.v. with us and even has a chair at the kitchen table where he eats his breakfast with me.

Getting him diapers was the best decision I made in quite awhile!

 

[hipeatall]

Oh my... whenever I hear house chicken I think of the woman with the silkie rooster (her soul mate) from the video The Natural History of the Chicken... you can watch it for free on YouTube... here is the link to the first part... oh my, I'm cracking up just thinking about it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkxO91TLKVg&feature=related
Edited to add - my favorite part is in this one... fast forward to about 5 minutes in and be amazed!

 

[Meara]

OMG I've seen that movie. It's hilarious! But back to the topic, as far as chickens inside the house it doesn't seem that different to me than people who have a macaw, parrot, cockatoo, etc. in the house. Lots of folks have pet birds and obviously all birds poop

 

[corvidae]

We have a large brooder in the spare bedroom where we have been keeping our 2-5 week old chickens (8 of them!). There's plenty of room for them and it's covered, but I did find I had to put an air purifier in there to keep the dust under control (worked magic--seriously!). It has been so dang cold and snowy here that I just haven't felt right about putting them out in the coop yet. The boys and I keep that room immaculate, more because I am a nurse and don't want to be breeding nasty germs in their brooder and making the chickens and everyone else sick than anything else (though I'm not keen on messiness, either). About once every other day, I cut the Roomba loose to make sure the floor stays tidy, and the chickens seem to be completely unfazed by the noise the Roomba makes. It is really quite nice to pop in to visit the chickens and hand feed them treats--the Andalusians, in particular, are enormously friendly and jump right up on our shoulders (rather a problem when I'm in my work clothes!). One of them flew up to the ceiling fan (which is not kept on, of course) and got herself a nice, squawking merry-go-round ride for her efforts.

I can't really see the prob with keeping chickens in the house--though I wouldn't keep more than a couple in myself, once they are old enough to cope with the weather outside. As someone else pointed out, I'd rather deal with chicken poo than cat poo--my cats don't even get the priviledge of a catbox at my house--they must go outside to do their business. Assuming the birds are well-cared for, they are, in point of fact, no different than any other pet and certainly don't take up as much room or require as much care as some of the massive dogs I've seen people keep. I think the prob comes in on how folks view chickens--they are barnyard critters, right? There is a certain amount of "not clean" thinking that goes with that.

I don't personally want my chickens wandering the house, but that is more a matter of having four cats who would love to dine on them (and darn if I'm cleaning up the feathers afterwards! Enough with the sparrow hunting, already!!) and three young boys who would likely find it hilarious if the chicken pooped on my kitchen counter while I wasn't looking (what IS it with boys??). That, and I pretty much require anything that poops in my house to use the appropriate area and I doubt I have the time or patience to housebreak a chicken. Nonetheless, confined in my spare bedroom with a huge picture window for light, a UV bulb in one of the ceiling fan sockets, plenty of food, water, warmth, and companionship, the chickens seem pretty dang happy and they aren't troubling me in the least.

And, of course, I'd far rather have a chicken in the house than the snake my eldest son wants... To each their own, so long as all are well-cared for.

 

[mrsbos]

I have 3 pullets.....and yes they come hang out in the house sometimes, but usually not for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. It's mostly because it's too cold to spend time with them outside, so we bring them in one at a time to cuddle and give treats to. They're only allowed on carpeted areas if someone is holding them, but we don't mind them so much on the tiled kitchen or wood floors, as it's an easy wipe up if there's a mess. I bought a chicken diaper so that I could bring my sweetest chick "Chickie" to the kids' school for a presentation on backyard chickens. We were going to be there for 3 hours and I didn't want her pooping on me, or on the floor at the school. Chickie will also wear her diaper when visiting my son's pre-school as they learn about the life cycle of animals.

If the girls' poo were always the more solid variety, I'd be less anxious with them wandering around our living room. Unfortunately, I've witnessed too many "liquidy" poos outdoors and would so totally be grossed out having to clean that off of my carpet or furniture.

A chicken diaper allowed Chickie to spend an afternoon in our living room

Chickie not only lays the eggs, she cooks them up. Now only if she'd do the dishes!

 

[whiteflare]

Quote:
I love the middle one, Attack! They're so cute!

In response to the original question... it's really weird. My birds are scared of going anywhere they have never gone before. They shy away from inside the house, but will hang around outside for as long as we let them. They also refuse to go out of the garden gate, it's 'unfamiliar territory' for them, I guess

The only time they've ever gone outside is when we got a stray dog and they ran out in fright.