Parrot cage?

[3LilBirds]

So my hubby said that he wants to keep the Chickens inside in a parrot cage and just make them a run outside. I really don't know if that's a good idea. 3 chickens in a parrot cage? Inside? We don't even know what sex they are yet. They are just a little over 3 weeks old and already smell even though I clean out the brooder probably 3 times a day. The brooder is on my computer/craft desk. So I can only imagine the smell is going to be stronger as they get bigger. He hasn't said why. He just said it was a thought but he keeps bringing it up. I'm thinking it's because he wants to move and is afraid the coop won't be portable like a big parrot cage. Any thoughts?

 

[suzyQlou]

So, is he thinking that they would just sleep inside? In the parrot cage? And then go outside into the run during the day?

If so, my biggest concern would be for bad weather. Ok, I see you're in Southern California (lucky you) but you still must get some bad-ish wether. Will the chickens be inside if it storms, or will the run include a sheltered place for the chickens to hide? Will the run have shade from the sun? Will the run have a place to lay eggs? These are all the kinds of things that outdoor coops usually provide.

My next concern would be the size of the parrot cage. How big would that be? Chicks grow up fast! Will they have enough indoor space as they grow?

I was a little slow building my coop last year, so I actually had a similar indoor-outdoor arrangement for a while. I was happy to see the day that it became and outdoor-only arrangement

 

[quintinp]

I think that you should build a portable coop. I suggest he build a cheap chicken tractor. There a a lot of ideas here for a cheap chicken tractor. I don't know how much it would cost you, but I bet if you just keep them in the cage they are in right now, and start collecting materials, you could have a very decent chicken tractor built by the time they have gotten to old to stay in there current cage.

 

[conny63malies]

do yourself a favor and the chickens too. Go on ebay( or click on the link) and look up poorfish1. He makes great small chicken coop plans with secure attached runs. You can pick them any color you want.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Agriculture...52760248089417539&cmd=ViewItem&_ssn=poorfish1

 

[dirtbath]

A very large dog crate would be even better. Our rabbit sleeps in a german shepard sized dog crate at night, then we let her out every day to hop around in her very own spare bedroom. She really appreciates the space.

 

[3LilBirds]

Thanks everyone! We've discussed it more and I brought up all the questions with him from the first reply and he now agrees that they need the space. We aren't worried about how much it will cost. Plus Hubby is VERY good at building things for less. He built a huge Noah's Ark playhouse/swingset for the girls in Michigan for less then $100. It's amazing the amount of wood you can get for free.

I guess my next question would be is 70 square feet enough for 3 chickens?

 

[chicks4erin]

I have been looking high and low for a coop that I think I could actually build and is pleasing to the eye and tall enough to walk into - these poorfish coops with attached runs actually look great and doable for me to build. Thanks so much for the post!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Agriculture-Forestry-/11748/i.html?item=150779553372&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D2%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7052760248089417539&cmd=ViewItem&_ssn=poorfish1