Indoor. chicken hiding/keeping. coop

[Iceblink]

As long as they can go outside during the day, I think it would be do-able.
How many chickens do you have?

After a skunk attacked my girls (3) I started bringing them in at night, and they liked it. At dusk they would all line up at the sliding glass door and peck gently on the glass to be let in. I just opened the door and they all trooped into their area.

I used a huge plastic dog crate filled with pine shavings. As long as I changed the shavings often, it only ever smelled like pine in there. They also had their own 'room,' really just a very large walk-in closet so I could close the door and give them peace and quiet. The door also kept the dust down and I couldn't put anything else in the room or it would be ruined by dust.

In the morning I opened the door and they all trooped out to the yard.

During the day if I was home and they were out in the yard one or the other would almost always 'ask' to come back into the crate to lay her egg.

If I had a lot of chickens it wouldn't have worked, but with only 3 it was great, and I could sleep at night knowing they were safe.

 

[trulyviolet]

i have mine inside
they live in my daylight basement
they go out in good weather in a puppy expansion pen with flight netting
i am always around them though
i use pellet bedding like you would use for horses
there is dust but it isn't bad
you can do deep litter if you would like

i would suggest a lot of stuff to keep them from being bored
i hang cabbage leaves
they have scratch
and get a LOT of treats
i also visit them quite a few times a day
to pet them and talk to them
and treat them
they love to have me rub their wattles
we clean them monthly
each pen takes two full bags of pellets
they will scratch and break it down

they are extremely friendly and tame
i suppose because they are such a part of our daily life
when the woodstove isn't on
we occationally bring them upstairs
they love it
they sit on the cat tree

vi

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

we have 5 hens. I was going to use the bulkhead to the basement as a part of their indoor coop. it has a door at the base that can be closed at night.

I know about the chicken dust. They were indoors longer than I wanted them to be when they were younger. Really,, in this house.. not much of a difference from the norm. Espcially since I am not home all day now

I bring Audrey in as much as I can. She is just such a love

 

[digitS']

I have wondered how well a "raised bed stealth coop" would work.

People put together raised bed gardens using boards. Some of the beds are 3 feet high so as to make for ease of gardening - especially for those gardeners who have trouble bending.

What if a 3 raised bed garden was actually 2 raised beds with the center "bed" a low coop and pen?

Just an idea . . .

Best of Luck!
Steve

 

[Ladyhawke1]

HURRAY FOR INDOOR CHICKIES!