I'm getting awfully close to having a house chicken

gryeyes

RIP 1952-2022
10 Years
Sep 22, 2009
15,506
495
358
My slice of heaven in Somerset, CA
I had ONE frizzled cochin hatch out of 10 eggs, along with a slew of other chick breeds in two batches. Until recently, I always brooded chicks in the bathroom, but with 33 of 'em and 4 call ducklings I was running out of room with three brooders. So I bought a ginormous brooder and put it out in my new shed. The first night, I miscalculated the heat requirements and lost two chicks to piling. After adding a second heat lamp, all was okay, although I lost a third chick last week to what I can only guess was "failure to thrive." I saw it hadn't grown much and seemed lethargic and brought it into the house. It died the next day.

I still have the 4 call ducklings in their own brooder, and 3 much younger bantam breed chicks in a brooder in the bathroom.

Friday afternoon, the frizzled cochin - which has been very lively, active, and thriving in the ginormous brooder in the shed, suddenly demonstrated NO energy and just laid flat, not even lifting its head. I brought it into the house and put it into its own Rubbermaid bin brooder, with Pedialyte in its water. It doesn't need as much heat as the littlest ones in their brooder, so I set up a heat lamp quite some distance over the brooder to replicate a median heat level similar to where a chick its age might spend most of its time in the ginormous brooder.

Without lifting its head much, it ate and drank. I thought, crap, maybe its Marek's?

It has slowly improved, and I have been picking it up and cradling it 3 or 4 times a day. Yesterday it lifted its head without difficulty. Today it's standing and moving around, peering over the edge of the brooder and cheeping when I come into the bathroom. It trills when I hold it. And it appears very interested in its surroundings now. Eating, drinking and pooping well.

All those details are leading me up to how danged cute this little frizzled cochin is, and how much I like its snuggling. It was ill, needed special attention, is improving, and I don't want to put it back into the general population with the rest of the chicks in the ginormous brooder. I don't even know if it's a pullet or cockerel. Kinda thought it was a roo when it was really young, but now that it's about 5 weeks old, the comb doesn't seem to have continued to grow much... but it IS the only one, so I have nothing to compare it to.

It's so gentle. Maybe nursing it like this has colored my perception, but I am feeling very close to keeping it in the house...... AT LEAST for the rest of the brooding period, because ...... I just don't wanna put it back out with the others, yet.

I've been calling it Fritzie. (Anybody watch The Closer?) If it turns out to be a pullet, then it will be named Fannie. Or Frannie, not quite yet decided. Right now it's Fritz.

Comments? I think I need to be talked out of keeping a house chicken, when I have so many outside in all their coops.
 
Last edited:
Awwwwww!
love.gif


Keeeeeep him/her inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


ya.gif
 
Don't expect me to talk you out of it, I have a chicken who lays eggs in my bed!
hide.gif
Congratulations, it's a house chicken!
 
I will admit I have a 18mo RSL house hen named Milly. She(or the group) plucked her till she bled.I put her in the rabbit cage,and she sometimes lays me an egg.I have her in my laundry room.She was in my bedroom,but dh will be home soon,and would not appreciate that very much. I even went to the thrift store to get her some baby cloths that I could cover her with till her wounds heal!

So given my own experience I would say keep the little one inside.

I was telling my friend she could have Milly in her house,and get an egg a day,but she has cats that would go insane over the chicken so she declined my offer. I keep my hen in the cage,because well they just poop a heck of a lot!A diaper or a linolium fllor is a must.
 
I have one hen that would absolutely love to be a house chicken. But, alas, with all the pooping she does, I'm afraid it will have to stay a dream for her and not a reality. Sorry Mrs. Cuddlesworth!
 
uuugh I have 2 lav silkies in my house-sweetest dang birds ever-they should have gone down to the pens long ago but I just cant -when I clean their "house" out everyday-they move to the back and I lay fresh newspapers down and then they step on them eve-if her so gently-Dh hasnt even said a word because I keep them immaculate-if he Smelled them Id be in trouble good thing sentcy candles are strong hehehe....nope I can see them laying eggs in there when its time hahaha
 
Not this kid. I won't keep a cat or dog in unless they are well housebroken, either. Had one dog who lived on my back porch for well over a year til he finally got the idea where to do his pooping. And dogs and cats don't really need other dogs and cats like chickens need chickens.

I don't like the idea of any of them in a cage, either. Never owned a cat or dog cage except for vet transport. Wouldn't want a chicken in a cage, either.

I have a place in the coop to separate a chicken. Have not had one so seriously injured that I considered bringing it in the house to convalesce. Have brought a couple in to treat something, but then took them right back to the coop.

If you want a house chicken, be my guest. Not me.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom