Is an indoor coop possible?

[BluegrassSeramas]

Wish you were here, I would soooo hook you up!

 

[SeramaMama]

Thanks, Bluegrass! I'm still looking up potential places to contact. Lots of horse boarding places around, so who knows? Maybe they'll have a shed they're not using.

I think you had mentioned that Seramas are cold-weather-hardy up to a certain temperature -- is that right? We can get some cold winter days/evenings, but generally I haven't seen below-zero temps. I'm just wondering if an outdoor coop is alright for them if it has some insulation for warmth? That would be a consideration in looking for a farm that could let me use some of their space. That is, do I need indoor space for sure?

 

[chickens3]

You can make whatever you want to make inside or outside it does not matter just think or keep in mind that chickens do start to smell after a bit so i dont think i would want my chickens inside. lol up to you.

 

[Jwarnick]

I posted this question on the Serama Council Of North America's forum and got these answers.

Question-
I was wondering if anyone on this board keeps just one or two Serama's as indoor pets.
No flocks, no showing, no breeding just pure pets. I have read they can make nice pets and can even be housed in a rabbit/guinea pig cage. If anyone does keep them as personal pets can you please explain what that's like.
Would you recommend them to others as an indoor pet?
Thanks for your time.
Jill

Answers I received:

1. I have a Silver Phoenix Hen as an indoor pet, and I adore her. She loves to watch TV, and we have trained her to ring a bell in her cage for treats. She is also trained to only go to the bathroom in her cage. Since she is not a Serama I can't answer that one, but I think they are sweeter birds to start with than Phoenix. Why she is in the house is another story altogether.

2. I of course highly recommend them as house pets.. I have 2 indoors and at this time 6 baby chicks as well in a play pen..
It is just a matter of cleaning their pen up regularly .. Or if you care to you can take them outside about every 20 minutes and soon they can hold it for about an hour.. I found it to be much more trouble than just cleaning up the poop.. Mine do not stand on wire. I like newspaper with a little shaving sprinkled on it..
Of course they need and enjoy a safe place outdoor once in a while to scratch get sunshine and grass.. They LOVE it in the house.. yes, those rabbit/guinea pig cages work great for indoors.. nothing like that is safe outof doors at night.. Joan

3. Hi! My name is Lukas, and I'm 9 years old. YES! Seramas are great indoors. We are working on our chicken area outside, but when my Seramas (Arnold and Maria) first got here, it was cold in the barn we had set up for them. So I asked my mom and dad if they could be in the house until the weather warms up. They live in a large rabbit hutch in the living room, but spend alot of their time out with us. Arnold is going to be my Showmanship bird for 4-H, and is just like a baby. He follows me around the house. Now maria has been setting...And Sunday, she hatched out 2 chicks! So she's pretty much in the hutch right now. Arnold has his own across the room. But they are alot like dogs, want to be with you, and you will find all the places they like to be scratched right away. My mom calls those places "buttons." They are very smart and wonderful pets! Good luck! Lukas B. from CA

4. If you start them off early enough, you can potty-train them to the commode.....but now that I think about it...would probably be easier to train them just to use a regular cat litter box, or newspapers. Chickens are much smarter than people give them credit for. You just need patience and kindness, and you can train them about anything. I have had at least one Serama in the house on and off for the last three years. They are great pets, and they do love being with their family, and the featherless family too!

5. Hi! I have almost 30 seramas and other chickens in the house now. My dad needs to build them a coop. I will be having 1 full time resident rooster. I am training him to walk on a harness. I will be potty training him soon. He LOVES to be with me. He runs loose in my room. He makes a purring noise whenever he is on my shoulder which is most of the time

6. Yes, Serama definately make GREAT house pets! I have some in the house with me. I use those large parakeet breeding cages. But any large cage would work. They love to be held and cuddled. When they are loose in the room they jump up on my chair arm to be close to me. I even sleep with one sometimes. Put a towel under them (or diaper on them) and they will snuggle up close to you and go to sleep like a kitten would. Just be careful not to ROLL on them. I also make chicken diapers. They work great!

7. The pros which greatly outweigh the cons:

No fleas
No ticks
No pet hair
No biting
No jumping
No chewing on furniture and shoes
No clawing furniture
Good alarm clocks
No spaying
No neutering
No yearly shots and vet checks
Breakfast is waiting for you fresh in the morning (eggs)


Cons:

loose feathers

scratchin' in their feed bowls

Good alarm clocks (no rest from this noise even when the power is out)

Poo

 

[Chickenaddict]

I started out with 2 pairs of seramas in the house and it wasn't bad at all, surface scoop daily and gut the whole box once a week. They were right up against a window in the basement so they got plenty of sunshine and they really loved being in here. Now they spend spring and summer in a garage coop and over winter they stay in the 3rd stall of the garage which stays about 40-50 degrees and they are just fine. IMHO if you only have the trio in the house it shouldn't be bad at all. This enclosure i built for them costed less than $100 and is super easy to clean.

Under the box itself I hung some fabric to match the curtains and used the space for storing feed,waterers, bedding and such, eventually I made the lower part a brooder just by adding a few panels of really thin, cheap paneling

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

Jwarnick--GREAT INFO!

Chickenaddict--that is the CUTEST thing EVER!!!!

 

[Chickenaddict]

Thanks

 

[purr]

Quote:
one of the sponsors for the forum had a trash can coop,it looks like a trash can but its a coop

 

[Davaroo]

Is an indoor coop possible?
Sure, it's called a cage.

Back in the 1920's, the battery cage was touted for the home producer. You could raise a DOZEN hens cleanly, efficiently and effectively and so have fresh eggs from your own basement. All this in no more space than the average armoire takes up.
Seems kinda rude to me, but the commercial egg business still does it this way, for all the same reasons.

So, yeah, it's possible.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
Don't knock it til you try it, Like i said before if it is just a few BANTAMS it's not bad at all and i have to say I haven't seen one mite on ANY of the chickens that live in my house. I clean daily and gut the room on a weekly basis wiping down everything and don't have issues, sure it gets a bit dusty but not bad if you keep on top of things. It may not be something you want to do and that's ok.