Is it a good idea to have a house chicken? I've heard yes and no so many times that it can be a bit confusing!
I've got a part-time house chicken. She sleeps inside and sometimes will hang out in the house in her special-order cage but a lot of the time she's outside with the flock. She's partly blind, is a year old, and is terrified of other chickens. She hasn't laid any eggs yet and she is very quiet. Most of the time when she's outside she won't interact with the other hens and she runs from the rooster. She seems happy inside but she does like her dust baths and also enjoys hunting for bugs in the grass (although she misses half of them because she can't see them). She is addicted to ketchup and other things that chickens probably shouldn't eat and she likes watching tv. But I don't know, does she belong outside with her fellow chickens or is it okay for her to be inside? I've heard of house chickens who live in dog crates inside and that's not good because chickens need to be chickens but Picasso (that's my chicken's name and yes she does paint) is different, she doesn't WANT to be outside! At least not most of the time.
There's a good post on this blog that I follow here: http://hencam.com/henblog/2011/04/house-chickens/
Every chicken is different, some are better suited to living inside, but some may like to be inside. Still, I guess it's debatable. So, is it a good idea to have a house chicken?
I've got a part-time house chicken. She sleeps inside and sometimes will hang out in the house in her special-order cage but a lot of the time she's outside with the flock. She's partly blind, is a year old, and is terrified of other chickens. She hasn't laid any eggs yet and she is very quiet. Most of the time when she's outside she won't interact with the other hens and she runs from the rooster. She seems happy inside but she does like her dust baths and also enjoys hunting for bugs in the grass (although she misses half of them because she can't see them). She is addicted to ketchup and other things that chickens probably shouldn't eat and she likes watching tv. But I don't know, does she belong outside with her fellow chickens or is it okay for her to be inside? I've heard of house chickens who live in dog crates inside and that's not good because chickens need to be chickens but Picasso (that's my chicken's name and yes she does paint) is different, she doesn't WANT to be outside! At least not most of the time.
There's a good post on this blog that I follow here: http://hencam.com/henblog/2011/04/house-chickens/
Every chicken is different, some are better suited to living inside, but some may like to be inside. Still, I guess it's debatable. So, is it a good idea to have a house chicken?
