people with house chickens

[mcgertylee]

I totally understand. People who do not have chickens have no idea the affection and comfort they can offer. The last few years were full of stress and anxiety, but spending late afternoon with my chickens and bringing the silkie in to sleep on his basket in the living room soothed my soul! I would have gladly had him cuddle with me in bed, but husband said no! At this moment I am sitting in Starbucks with my silkie asleep in a bag, as we have just moved and I don't have a proper and safe coop yet, or roadrunner at home. (or, electricity for that matter.) I am taking him everywhere and it's great. People love him when he peeks out and they realize he is not a wee dog. Other chickens are back at old house until a get a safe coop.

 

[dancingflower68]

Great Post!! I loved this! Beaker and Scooter are so sweet!! My chickens are very good for my anxiety too!!

Beaker & Scooter, on my lap while watching tv in my recliner chair. Still unsure of sex's lol if they are a rooster no worries as I live on 40 acres no close nieghbours to worry about..


Hello new to having house chicken's but I must admit I LOVE IT!!. Yes some of the people in my life think I have gone over the deep end. However what most of them don't know is how much mental thereapy I receive from my silkie pair.

During last fall I had some pretty serious health issues. I ended up with a blood clot in the lung, cuppled with very sudden onset of sleep apnea. I actually woke up several times not breathing which is the scariest feeling I have ever had. several weeks past and I was mostly recovered and now having to use a c-pap machine to bed to stop me from not breathing when I sleep. But by this point I had developed anxiety about going to sleep, I guess fear of not waking up in time to breath. It was purley a mental anxiety issue that I needed to get over. The fact that my DH also worked afternons I was all on my own until 2:00 am did'nt help my anxiety.

I had always wanted a silkie chicken and finally picked up a pair of 2 week olds. Initially they were supposed to be kept in my spare bedroom in a brooder, however before you knew it I was taking them to bed with me while I read. Normally it would take a long time to try to get myself to sleep and sometimes I would even have to resort to an anti anxiety aid.

But what I noticed was as soon as I put them on my chest and heard their funny little bird song noises that they make it would put me to sleep almost right away!
What was funny too with my c-pap mask on, they were so curious they would get right up to check it out. I think they thought I was a bird too because I had a "beak" maybe their Moma! lol

I find myself taking them with me everywhere now, to the grocery store, to my horse shows. I have fabric dog carrier that I tote them around with.

I cannot go a single day with out getting in my "silkie time" I have to get a coudle in or I feel like the day is incomplet.

Just thougt I would share my story here, without any fear of judgement for taking chickens to bed with me!

 

[Help_battery_hens]

OMG this is the best thread EVER!!! I don't have a place of my own at the minute so I can't have my girls in the house (i rescue ex battery hens) but the day will come lol!....
Henrietta my oldest surviving girl lost her companion earlier this year and was sadly alone. my heart was breaking seeing her standing at the fence by the back door and every time she would see me she would charge down the garden to get fussed and have a cuddle. I started bringing her inside when noone was in... she got used to the routine... i would unlock the gate, she would wonder out and hop straight in the door where i would have a bowl of warm water to stand her in while i washed her feet and towel dried her. then she would have free roam of the house until people were due back lol. She would nest down on the sofa next to me while i was working on my laptop and she would go up with my dog by the windowsill and look out at the passers by. I can't wait to get my own place so she can strut around it and i can hear her little feet on the floor! she is outside with her 8 new friends now and loves being muddier than ever... she gets the best of both worlds.

 

[seminolewind]

I'd love to revive this thread. It's a bit old but Im thinking of having a house chicken and I'd love some advice from you guys. My Silkie roo is 8 weeks old and he's had various special needs since he arrived at 3 days old. I know having a roo inside won't be a great idea but I have a LF roo who doesnt like him and not enough supplies to build him a separate coop. My idea was to have a small outdoor run where he could be during the day while I'm at school and have a dog kennel for when he's indoors at night. But since silkies are so fluffy would I need to trim his feathers around his vent so the poo wouldn't get stuck to him in the diaper? Thanks.

Olive oil maybe, or this stuff in a tack store or TSC for horses called Show Sheen, or Cowboy Magic. It makes the hair slick so dirt won't stick.

 

[seminolewind]

I totally understand. People who do not have chickens have no idea the affection and comfort they can offer. The last few years were full of stress and anxiety, but spending late afternoon with my chickens and bringing the silkie in to sleep on his basket in the living room soothed my soul! I would have gladly had him cuddle with me in bed, but husband said no! At this moment I am sitting in Starbucks with my silkie asleep in a bag, as we have just moved and I don't have a proper and safe coop yet, or roadrunner at home. (or, electricity for that matter.) I am taking him everywhere and it's great. People love him when he peeks out and they realize he is not a wee dog. Other chickens are back at old house until a get a safe coop.

I have a special needs Polish pullet. She was paralyzed with Marek's, but started walking again. She lived in a cage in my room. I would put her on an old sheet on the bed and take a nap, well she did too.She lives outside now with my silkies. She needs to know she's a chicken.

 

[CuddlesDuccles]

I ordered some chicken diapers for my 2 d'uccle chickens a few days ago. I can't wait till they come! No more poop patrol! LOL they live mostly in the house and my family thinks I've gone mad as well! I'm so glad I found this thread!
I'm still laughing about the silkie at Starbucks. I didnt know they would allow a chicken if it's in a bag! I used to take my parrot with me everywhere in a bag, never thought to take my chickies!
We call them the Kardashickens because they are so pampered and fancy haha.

 

[fairsing farm]

I am so glad I found this thread too. finally realised I am not the only "crazy chicken lady" out there lol

 

[CuddlesDuccles]

Do you all keep your house chickens in an indoor "coop"? What do you keep them in to contain them? I'm looking for some new ideas

 

[fairsing farm]

right now they are in a fairly large plastic storage container. I have seen people use old baby cribs, baby play pens, dog houses. Still trying to come up with a specifically designed indoor coop. I was hoping to have it be a oriental theme for the silkies, a little Japanese bantam that I hatched not long ago has the personality that will likely earn it a house chicken status lol. So if we go with a oriental them "house" it will work for both breeds

I have seen some neat themed outdoor coops, just need to scale it down and replicate for indoors. one day.....

there is a house chickens yahoo group that has some pretty cool info

 

[CuddlesDuccles]

Ours are in a large dog crate so it's super easy to keep clean with the pressure washer. I also sewed a cage "skirt" for around the bottom of the cage to keep the shavings in. Easy to throw in the washer with bleach! We were going to get a nice rabbit hutch of wood but I felt it wouldn't be clean enough for being inside the house. I was just looking for some new ideas for maybe something cuter.