I Live on the 11th floor, do chickens have suicidal tendencies?

[SteveMcL]

Hi, I live on the 11th floor, and have a big balcony that I'd like to let my chickens roam freely, If I keep them well fed will they jump over the rail and possibly fall to their death? I don't have any chickens yet, just want to know if it's possible to raise them on a balcony. The railing is probably 4 feet high.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Not only would they likely fall but chickens are very noisy when they sing the egg song.
I would not recommend them for apartment, condo situations.

 

[SueT]

Welcome to BYC! Are you really allowed to have chickens in your building? Yes chickens could easily fly up on a 4' railing. They may even be able to fly/glide down. If, and only if, you are allowed to raise poultry, I would instead consider quail, confined in a cage on the balcony.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Welcome to BYC!!
Sorry but I agree, chickens can be seriously loud, and seriously messy. And I do think they would try to fly off the balcony.
But as @SueT suggested, quail might be a cool idea.

 

[SteveMcL]

I've raised a pair of americana chickens in my back yard previously before so I know about the noise and mess. In San Jose you are allowed 4 hens, no rooster for a residential house. I'll check the local laws for San Diego where I live now.

 

[ColoradoPip]

The question still remains would a chicken jump off the rail?!

Chickens might be a bit on the unintelligent side in some regards but they still understand life and death....right?!?

Without having them living in such an environment, how would anyone know? If it's legal, try it, and have a backup plan (maybe someone on BYC) that will take the chickens if it doesn't work out.

 

[DobieLover]

The question still remains would a chicken jump off the rail?!

Chickens might be a bit on the unintelligent side in some regards but they still understand life and death....right?!?

Without having them living in such an environment, how would anyone know? If it's legal, try it, and have a backup plan (maybe someone on BYC) that will take the chickens if it doesn't work out.

The question also remains: is it a good living environment for a chicken to live on a balcony?

 

[SueT]

But are you really allowed chickens in your building? Most apartments, condos, military housing etc, have restrictions re animals, and possibly more re poultry.

 

[ColoradoPip]

The question also remains: is it a good living environment for a chicken to live on a balcony?

haha, my first mental image says no but...if setup appropriately it could be a happy awesome place!! With the right "run" material the chickens wouldn't know they're 11 floors up!

Talk about some penthouse chicks!!

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Yeah! Go for it! But no roosters, and clip their wings so they can’t fly. Also, make sure they can’t fit between your balcony bars. Chickens do have suicidal tendencies, though. I once had one who impaled herself on a wire hanging from the coop roof. Good luck!