people with house chickens

[spazy67]

DE is not that effective and takes a long time to work on a bug - if at all.  I don't use powders of any sort around my chickens because of respiratory issues and DE has a lot of warning on the label to use goggles, mask, and gloves, so I decided not to use it - especially since it is not a guaranteed bug deterrent.  If you want to keep your house chickens free of feather lice/mites I use organic enzyme Manna Pro Poultry Protector on their bodies and their housing (directions on label).  Safe enough to use on 9-day-old chicks.  I received a shipment of two pullets and they had feather-lice on them right out of the crate so I immediately used Poultry Protector on them and there was no lice almost immediately.  Since Poultry Protector is safe to use as often as wished, I continued using it for a couple more days on the pullets just in case.  A week later I followed up with another application to the pullets just in case any lice eggs hatched or I missed any.  I use Poultry Protector once a month on our 4 hens and then use it on parts of their coop like nestbox and perch crevices as preventative maintenance.  The stuff really works and I don't have to be afraid of poison or waiting around until maybe DE works or doesn't work.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/05/diatomaceous-earth-de-benefitrisk.html

Thank you so much so thankful you got back to me I am like you I was reading the caution and good heavens put on a hazmat suite lol. Ya I have dogs to so want everyone to be safe I dont think I have any bugs but they do twitch ths heads but have always done that so I think they just have a nervous twitch and the flaking I had someone say she probably getting new feathers //thank you so much going to the link now

 

[kajira]

I made the mistake of reading this thread to my husband and daughter.

Now my husband said she could raise a chicken in the house... except I'm the one who has to take care of them... argh!

So, I read someone had potty trained them around week 3 - PLEASE so I don't have stock on chicken diapers... tell me how you did it. LOL

MY daughter has now put two houses that would "work in her room" on her christmas list, along wiht a selection of chicken diapers and inserts.

#1 choice :

#2 choice she picked. LOL at least she has good taste???

She even made her dad get out his measuring tape and measure the corner in her room to make sure either one would fit.... LOL I had to tell her christmas was a long time off though! LOL

 

[DarleneE]

Kajira,
That is the cutest thing I've ever heard!! How neat!! I just LOVE that first house especially. Can you tell me where I could purchase this house?? Thanks so much and best of luck with house training your chicken!!

 

[kajira]

Kajira,
That is the cutest thing I've ever heard!! How neat!! I just LOVE that first house especially. Can you tell me where I could purchase this house?? Thanks so much and best of luck with house training your chicken!!

Amazon sells it for 70 bucks as a cat house. LOL

 

[DarleneE]

Kajira,

Oh my goodness really?? Lol I honestly thought it was a chicken house for real!! That's very reasonable and will work great!!

 

[Agarrard]

Anyone else have some super cute pictures of their house chickens??? I'd love to see them! This is one of mine from what I call Lap Time Nap Time. How am I expected to get anything done when this happens in my lap?

 

[Metal chick]

That gray and white house is so adorable!!!

 

[Lisa Wood]

I don't pretend to be a chicken whisperer either. But I've had two Silkie hens for 5 years and they seem to settle down as they get older. They will always be just a bit skittish though because we are so tall and they are so low to the ground. Their instinct is to get out of harm's way and movement makes them wary. Why? Who knows? A natural instinct at protecting their tiny bodies from tall scary things because of limited vision maybe? It has nothing to do with being afraid of you personally. It's just instinct for them to be wary. We have no problems getting our Silkies to come sit in our lap or stand on our feet when we hand out treats - sitting on the ground or a low chair during treats gets them brave to climb on you. I have one Partridge Silkie that sits on my shovel when I'm digging. She wants to be the first to catch an earthworm! When we go outside with treats in our hand we have a hard time not stepping on them as they crowd our feet to be first in line for food. They are silly cute funny adorable little birds and all are different. We got a 3-month-old pullet that was too young to integrate into the outdoor flock and we kept her indoors for another 3 months in diapers until she was old enough to be put with the bigger girls. Made the Silkie diapers myself from chickenmom video on youtube.com The juvenile Silkie would escape outdoors in her diaper - she was really fast and still is a little fast Silkie at 4[SUP]1/2[/SUP] yrs old!

They dont like anything over them, especially moving things. I accidentally turned on my ceiling fan and they freaked. Instinct because of aerial predators. The BUT I got the same advise. Sit down on ground and deliver treats. They are treated only if they take from the hand. I can touch mine, and yhey get very close, buf I think because I made them so wary as babies with the brooder on the ground, I may never have lap chicks.,

 

[Lisa Wood]

My friend who has house birds (2 serama hens, 1 silkie hen) swears she can't even try putting some garment(apron or diaper) on the silkie or she will have a stroke. Her animals(including peke a poo elderly dog) let her know she is at the bottom of the pecking order. What they want, they get, and what she wants is just "too bad."

She serves them a buffet everyday of fruit, veggies, tiny cuts of meat/fish/ or chicken (not relatives) and they pick and choose what they want. They won't touch nutritious layer feed or anything else that is specifically intended for chickens and then complains about it.I try not to discuss them with her because we end up in hot debates

The seramas beat up the silkie, and the silkie attacks her human mama. Oh her dog is spoiled the same way, refuses dog food & treats. She cooks for him daily. The dog is elderly now and the chickens really torment him. She shouldn't allow this but, thinks it's funny. The seramas chase him out of his dog bed, pull food out of his mouth, and steal his toys. Yet when outside they have the sense to shadow the dog so they are protected from free ranging cats.

Sounds like One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. I love all mine, but dogs are happier with structure, and chickens have less anxiety when they know who goes where in the pecking order. If things were in order, no one would be violent.

 

[Lisa Wood]

Do you possibly have any advice on how to get my chicken to trust me enough, settle down enough to let me put a diaper on her??? She makes her messes all over our floor, furniture, us lol. I ordered 4 really cute diapers but she pitches a fit everytime. We resorted to keeping newspaper on the furniture. :/

I do not believe there is anything you can do to make her want a diaper change. I think you have to catch her up and fo it, and she will acclimate and come to see it as a neccessary evil.