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

[Rooapalooza]

This is kind of a funny idea.

As other people on here mentioned, you'd need to hardware cloth your whole balcony for chickens, and I'm not sure how that would look. You'd also need to bring in tubs of dirt for dust bathing, which might be annoying. You'd also have to have an extra creative poop maintenance system.

Also as other said, for apartments I usually recommend quail, if you are looking for fresh eggs. They need less space and are very quiet, plus less likely to be frowned upon by the legal system. They still need dirt and stuff but much less of it.

Do you own your apartment? Does your balcony already have a garden?

 

[centrarchid]

If chickens like mine, then neighbors not likely to notice without directly seeing them. Keeping smell under control with one bird should be easy.

 

[Rooapalooza]

If chickens like mine, then neighbors not likely to notice without directly seeing them. Keeping smell under control with one bird should be easy.

Don't yours sing the egg song? Mine are really loud about that. Also there should be at least 2?

 

[centrarchid]

Don't yours sing the egg song? Mine are really loud about that. Also there should be at least 2?

Egg song is not an every day occurrence even when in lay. One bird can be kept without trouble, even for the bird. I have effectively three single hens. They are the least noisy chickens I have.

 

[twendt]

They WILL fall to their deaths, don't do it.

 

[K0k0shka]

Chickens are social animals. Keeping one single chicken is not a good idea.

 

[centrarchid]

Chickens are social animals. Keeping one single chicken is not a good idea.

I socialize with mine. They are quit happy, Most chickens kept by most people are effectively dead-enders anyway. Social groups for breeding not needed.

 

[K0k0shka]

Most chickens kept by most people are effectively dead-enders anyway. Social groups for breeding not needed.

Breeding isn't the only reason chickens need flocks. Social animals need social company for their general well being. Would you spend your life alone if you didn't want kids? No, you'd probably still have friends, a significant other, a roommate, or or someone else to keep you company. You might be okay living all alone with an animal, but most humans need other humans. A chicken might make do with just you as their only social circle if they had no choice, but they really do need other chickens (or comparable birds to flock with) to be happy.

 

[centrarchid]

You need to see how chickens operate in natural, not female only, social groupings. The interactions are not around the clock. A human fill that void nicely.

 

[K0k0shka]

I'm having a hard time taking this discussion seriously, sorry. You can keep a single chicken if you want. But there's nothing "natural" about it.