Maintenance for a pet chicken

[Tgmcr]

Hi all, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a flock management issue as this is for one hen but I figured it was the best place to post.
we have a large flock of about 50 chickens that we love, but no one rivals miss pumpkin!
Pumpkin is a just turned year old Belgian d’uccle. My younger brother always dreamed of having a pet chicken so pumpkin has lived in the house since she was just a small chick. She has her own “room” (it’s a converted closet lol). She adores my brother and they are best friends. They do everything together. She is a very happy and healthy girl currently! She gets Purina layer feed, and has a “bedtime” lights are out for 8-10 hours she lays 4-5 days a week right now. She does not go outside.
I do have a couple questions for anyone who may also have an indoor chicken lol.

would you bring them to a vet for a wellness checkup? If so, how often? Pumpkin has seen the vet before but it was when she came down with a sickness.

how often do you get their beaks trimmed? After she recovered I brought her back to the vet to check her and they trimmed her beak when she was there. That was in May. I’m not sure when to make an appointment again.

Lastly: will she molt while being inside? Or will it effect her if she doesn’t. This would be her first time molting, but I’m not sure if she will because she is indoors.

thanks for any help! I Know it sounds crazy that she is an indoor pet but we really do adore her and she is a very happy, spoiled girl! Here are some pics of her just because!

 

[InterestingChickens]

Chickens need time outside. Just like you or me. It is possible to give her a designated time where you could watch over her in your property? Chickens keep their beaks down and not over grown by rubbing them on stones. Yes, she will molt inside. Even though the shortening of day light hours may not apply so much to her, as she is inside, it will still effect her somewhat.

 

[Iluveggers]

I found this & thought it might be useful for you & your brother! Since dust bathing is so important, maybe set up a small box full of dirt & wood ash somewhere (like a bathtub?) to give her a chance to do so daily!

https://cs-tf.com/indoor-chickens/

 

[Tgmcr]

Thank you for the input! She used to get time outside but we believe she picked up a bug or something and that is what made her incredibly sick. She was on deaths door and no one thought she would survive, including the vets. We haven’t brought her outside since she recovered because we didn’t know if her immune system was weak and didn’t want to compromise her.

She does have access to a dust bath and does so frequently!