Indoor coop for Bantam's

[bastage]

So we have enjoyed having our flock of 3 red sex links since early this spring, but a recent mishap with our beagle has forced me to either get rid of the chickens or the dog. And well the dog is too well behaved other then this one mishap (he was trying to play with one of the chickens and mauled it pretty bad). My daughter loves the birds, and was very unhappy about letting them go. I am now thinking of making or buying a cage (something like this http://www.glevumpetsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/chinchilla-cage.html) & letting her keep 2 bantam size chickens in her room. What is the feasibility of this. They would still be allowed outside to play in the summer time as long as we were with them, but primarily they would spend there time in the cage. The breed would probably be Cochin's or Brahma's. As my daughter thinks silkies are funky looking (she's 4 so who would have thought that she would like the fuzzy ones).

Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I'm really not a dog lover so I would have gotten rid of the dog but thats just me

 

[teach1rusl]

A tall, narrow cage would basically be a waste IMO, as they wouldn't have the room to fly up that high anyway, at least in any of the cages I glanced through. If you were going to do that, it would be better probably just to build your own, one that's more wide than tall, so they would have room to scratch/peck about. The size would depend on whether they'll be out (in the house) each day or not, or whether most of their lives (other than summer times) would be spent in the cage. If they're going to be mostly in the cage, I'd want at least a 3 x 4 ft. one for 2 bantams. While I certainly don't think that's the best way to keep chickens, it sounds doable enough if they have space to peck about and are well taken care of. Since your daughter is only 4, I would make sure that this is something YOU want (because you'll be the one cleaining every day so things don't get stinky)...

 

[elmo]

Personally, I wouldn't do it...for a number of reasons. Chickens really enjoy being able to be outside in the sun, able to scratch around on the ground. I think you'd find the dust from their feathers very annoying indoors, and then there are sanitation issues. Even small chickens poop quite a lot (I have bantams myself). A four year old may not remember she needs to wash her hands carefully after handling a chicken or things contaminated with chicken poop before she touches her face and/or food.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I don't think all the chicken dust would be healthy for your child's respiratory system. It could lead to allergies.

 

[PepsNick]

Errr, cage = no-no. Maybe if you add a run it'd be okay, through. What about just a cheap chicken tractor? OUTSIDE!

 

[Carrie Lynn]

I had one cockatiel a few years ago and the dander dust was considerable and for me, an allergen.
Try, try to find an alternative. I don't think living indoors would be much of a life for your chickens.
Sorry, I know it's not what you wanted to hear.

 

[lleighmay]

If it were me I would use the money I was going to spend on an indoor cage to build a small secure outdoor coop and run that's beagle-proof. I absolutely agree that the indoor cages built for birds (taller than wide) would not be good for chickens since they would basically be relegated to the floor of the cage. Having also kept assorted birds in the house over the years (pet birds, rehab birds such as crows, hawks, owls, and the occasional convalescing chicken) I definitely wouldn't want them in a child's room where the dust and mess would be impossible to keep clean, especially on bedding, toys, surfaces, etc.

 

[henney penny]

How about a differant type of bird like a parakete for her

 

[BooBear]

A chicken tractor can be predator proofed by just adding hardware cloth to the bottom as the floor. That way your dog cannot dig under to get the chickens and the chickens can still feel like they are foraging. Plus the wire bottom would still allow the poop to fall through to the ground. This would be much better then keeping it in the house.