Indoor Serama

[Martian]

Hello everyone,
I am new around here. My name is Robert, and I just picked up a couple of 2 month old seramas. I got 1 cockerel, and 1 pullet. I have a general question in regards to housing them. I plan to keep them in the house, inside of my office. This is the second time I have owned chickens, However it is the first time I have kept them inside. I have 2 x Cages that are generally designed to be rabbit cages. I only have one set up since they are small yet. Each one measures 36" long 30" wide and 16" high. My question is this: If I connect both cages end to end length wise, Will that be enough to accommodate them through out their lives. I am slightly concerned about the height but not sure if it's an issue or not. Also at some point once they are older I plan on attempting to breed them. Is there anything about my potential cage setup that would make it hard for me to eventually breed or successfully house them. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[GitaBooks]

Keeping an indoor chicken is almost like having a pet parrot that can't fly, bite, or scream!

It is best to give them as much space as possible. This is totally just a suggestion, but I would suggest, for seramas that are to be let out regularly for exercise, a cage that is about 6 ft long and 3 ft high at minimum, so they can perch and feel safe, as well as having space to dust bathe, forage about, eat, rest, play, drink, and exercise while in the cage.
During warm weather you can build a small, very secure run to let them outside in for a few hours a day, as fresh air, green grass, and a warm sun lead to happier and healthier chickens.
I only ever had one fully indoor chicken, Mavis, as she was disabled and couldn't stay outdoors, but it sounds like a lot of fun to keep seramas! Mavis was a silkie and had free roam of the basement, but the humid conditions led to her getting a respiratory infection.

Anyways, I hope this helps, and best of luck with your birds! Having a nice looking cage really makes you enjoy your birds better, and lets guests enjoy them too.

Best of luck!

 

[Cheep N Peep]

Breeding them shouldn't be a problem, your roo will do it anyway. In fact, if she starts getting bare patches on her back and head, you may want to protect her with an 'apron' and get some more hens.
The set up you suggested sounds fine to me, but you might not like crouching down to collect eggs and clean, and if you don't clean very often your office will smell like chickens. Could you put the rabbit hutches on stilts, or a table, so you don't have to crouch (which makes cleaning/feeding/egg collecting more enjoyable)? I also agree that an outside shelter will make them happier, even if it is temporary and they have to go back inside.
Good luck!