enrichment/enclosure for indoor setup (plants,toys, etc)

[fat brown hen]

I do understand your point on derailing, but BYC is pretty casual on that front. And to be fair, if there was ever a time to go off topic, it would be for health concerns for another person. For all we know, the OP could have children or elder parents living with them. It's better they know any potential risks before making a decision that could negatively impact other people.

OP mentioned that they live with their parents and grandparents. I'm sure there are more than enough people to give them an earful if things get unsanitary.

Besides, the thread had the potential to be useful -- most people have kept a chicken or 2 indoors at some point for rehabilitation purposes. I certainly learned a lot before things got derailed.

You shouldn’t put anyone down at all.

How do you think the OP feels?

 

[TOMTE]

How do you think the OP feels?

Nobody has put OP down. People have pointed out the potential risks and complications of keeping chickens indoors. Big difference.

 

[ShrekDawg]

OP mentioned that they live with their parents and grandparents. I'm sure there are more than enough people to give them an earful if things get unsanitary.

Besides, the thread had the potential to be useful -- most people have kept a chicken or 2 indoors at some point for rehabilitation purposes. I certainly learned a lot before things got derailed.


How do you think the OP feels?

Nobody has put OP down. People have pointed out the potential risks and complications of keeping chickens indoors. Big difference.

Exactly, @TOMTE and to even bring up OP is completely irrelevant and not the same at all cause, as was mentioned, no one put them down.

 

[casportpony]

FYI, this bickering could result in the thread being closed.

 

[WildNectarine]

FYI, this bickering could result in the thread being closed.

It saddens me so deeply that every indoor chicken/quail conversation turns into this, I think we need our own section of the site, like the meat bird people have. But I won’t be here to see it, this site is obviously not for people like me, and I respect that.

 

[Appalachickens]

It saddens me so deeply that every indoor chicken/quail conversation turns into this, I think we need our own section of the site, like the meat bird people have. But I won’t be here to see it, this site is obviously not for people like me, and I respect that.

Why not start that? Have an indoor-bird only section.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I think we need our own section of the site

Start a thread dedicated to indoor birds! That way people that are interested in that have a place to talk and people that aren’t will just scroll on by. Very good idea and more beneficial to others than just packing it in because this does come up often and it would be nice to have a place to direct people.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

I’m surprised no ones mentioned parrots/parakeets/etc. getting people sick lol They all produce tons of dander too. Not saying the indoor chicken thing is a good idea though. I don’t think it is. But just saying LOL

Because chances are there are few parrot owners currently on this thread. They would gladly discuss it if they've actually educated themselves on the topic as it is actually very serious.
I know of several people who are no longer able to keep indoor birds of any kind due to their lung health, the damage done is irreversible.
Cockatoos are renowned for producing an insane amount of dust and dander, I'm genuinely curious how it compares to that of a bantam chicken. Cockatoos (and some other old world parrots) have been KNOWN to kill other parrot species (macaws and conure) simply from the dust they produce, pulmonary hypersensitivity syndrome. Considering birds have more effective respiratory systems than humans I think that shows what bird dander does to us on an amplified scale.
Personally I really recommend anyone looking into indoor chicken keeping actually reaches out to people who keep other indoor birds.
I'm going to write another post in regards to the original question about enrichment.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Because chances are there are few parrot owners currently on this thread. They would gladly discuss it if they've actually educated themselves on the topic as it is actually very serious.
I know of several people who are no longer able to keep indoor birds of any kind due to their lung health, the damage done is irreversible.
Cockatoos are renowned for producing an insane amount of dust and dander, I'm genuinely curious how it compares to that of a bantam chicken. Cockatoos (and some other old world parrots) have been KNOWN to kill other parrot species (macaws and conure) simply from the dust they produce, pulmonary hypersensitivity syndrome. Considering birds have more effective respiratory systems than humans I think that shows what bird dander does to us on an amplified scale.
Personally I really recommend anyone looking into indoor chicken keeping actually reaches out to people who keep other indoor birds.
I'm going to write another post in regards to the original question about enrichment.

True and oh wow that’s wild!

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

ever since I made this account I'm obsessed with the wisdom everyone has here haha, today's question!!

for a little bit of background, I'm thinking of keeping indoor bantam (specifically serama) chickens. BUT. I need ideas for

1. house/indoor plants safe for chickens
2. toys/enrichment opportunities
3. what should my setup look like ? does the placement of the stuff matter ?
4. flooring/surface for the “ chicken room”

so far these are the ideas I have (more suggestions or anything else welcome )

1. roosting areas
2. foraging trays
3. dust baths
4. hay
5. balls with treats in them
6. hiding places (im thinking of using cat/dog houses)
7. some extra stuff to add clutter
8. parrot toys ?? mainly those ones about destroying, perching on and foraging.

but I need to find roosting perches suitable for bantams/seramas, would pigeon ones be suitable ? plus what type of roosting areas would they most like (I saw some different type designs like just sticks. ones that have weird shapes. etc)


the room for them (see photos) ,, ignore the furniture they will be out!

im overall looking for advice on anything. thanks y'all for any help
View attachment 4141970View attachment 4141971View attachment 4141969

I do not have indoor chickens but I keep chickens and quail, have indoor birds and have knowledge on other indoor animals that I'm using to make this advice, it comes with minimal experience but it's what sounds logical to me.
I also haven't read the entirety of this thread so I can't say if this is repeated suggestions. I think it's far better for someone to try something with as much warning, advice and help, being set up the best they can be for success and come to their own conclusion, than for them to be put off by so many people shooting down their idea and they do it blindly and then both the person and the animal/s end up miserable.

Again, I've not read the thread so I'm unsure what your plans are for the cage/coop you plan to use (I doubt you're going to be letting your chicken just loose in the room??), personally I'd avoid basically every kind of commercially available cage, especially anything aimed at rabbits or guinea pigs. Any one who knows about rabbit and guinea pigs knows those cages are unsuitable for even those species. If I wasn't planning to build a custom cage, I would probably go the route suggested for indoor rabbits and get an "X-Pen" or playpen meant for dogs, many of these also have shade covers available or if you're a little handy you can make you own cover with something as simple as a sheet this would keep your flighted birds actually in it
Bedding wise I will admit I'm a little stumped. Litter seems like a nightmare indoors to me, and wouldn't work with my above cage suggestion unless you built some kind of base... No litter I would think would only amplify the smell Perhaps a kind of wood or paper pellet? I use paper pellets with my cat and currently my guinea pigs too, I've used them temporary with my quail too. No bedding or using paper is a bad idea. I see the room you posted has tiles which are not going to provide any kind of grip and keep their legs from sliding about. I'd imagine it'd be very cold at times too. Paper holds the same grip issues + good luck getting it to last with the scratching behaviour of chickens.

Enrichment. Many of the things you suggested actually sound great! One of the main goals of enrichment is to encourage natural behaviours, the dust bathing, the foraging trays etc. Foraging trays are SO simple and there's so many different ways to create them, switching up what you do will keep your chicken interested and happy. You can use food for enrichment by offering it in different ways, offering different kinds, etc. Want to offer various vegetable? Offering them diced one day and whole or in large chunks the next provides two different experiences. One of my favourite things about animal enrichment is the fact there's just so many options.
For chickens I wouldn't really bother going the route of parrot toys, they're just too different and made with completely different goals in mind. My parrot would love to chew up wood and other natural material but I can't imagine my chickens having much or any interest in doing that at all. There is a thread on this topic here though. One of our member also wrote this article on chicken enrichment, have a read and see what you can learn and try to incorporate to indoor keeping.
I wouldn't go to complexed with roosting. A few pieces of wood at various heights is just as good as going with natural branches. It's highly important for arboreal birds to have varying perch options for foot health but I don't think this is quite as important for chickens.

Well, I hope this provides some kind of help or at the least encourages some thought to help reach a solution. I lean towards agreeing that chickens shouldn't be kept inside, but MANY species of animals we keep indoors when we know they're better off outside and as humans we always seem to learn how to make the best of it.