people with house chickens

[Aussie Lady]

People think I'm crazy for showering my Silkie chicken "Shatzy" with wool-wash and drying her with the hairdryer. I had to separate her from my Australorps as she was starting to be bullied by them even though she was the first to use the chicken coop. They chased her, picked on her and wouldn't let her near the food. She had to find time to sneak into the coup to have her share of the feed. Even when I gave Shatzy her own food, they would still steal it away from her. She was getting quite stressed, my poor sweetie. So I gave her lots of TLC, gave her a shower and blow dry which she loves and falls asleep whilst I'm drying her and put her in a coop of her own. She seems to be happier now and can eat in peace. I gave her a piece of corn on the cob and she's happily pecking her way through it. I'm thinking of maybe getting another silkie to give her company. Other than taking her in the house to wash and blow dry, I haven't actually had her in there for longer periods of time.

 

[CuddlesDuccles]

My d'uccles take showers and get bown dry too! But I don't use any soap, I didn't know it was safe. They are pampered!

 

[firedancer57]

Z's lives in a dog training crate. We put in a perch for her to roost on. I did see a plan for an inside coop using kitchen/bathroom cabinets. We have one friend that converted a large parrot cage for her indoor coop.

 

[fairsing farm]

My house Silkies Beaker and Scooter getting blow dried lol, They are not sure about the bath part but seem to like the blow drying. I find more regular baths cut down the dander that they shed out when new feathers come in.

 

[fairsing farm]

Lost my favorite chicken....

She was our "part time" house chicken, a RIR that we got from a hatchery this past March. The most oddest chicken I have encountered. She lived in the barn, free ranged during the day with the rest of the layers. However she soon learned that at the house, or rather in the house there was a constant supply of grapes.

Then we installed the Magic Mesh on our front door. Once she figured out how to get through it we were graced by multiple visits from her daily for some attention and to lay her daily egg in her chosen spot a spare closet in the den lol. Sometimes she would slip into the house with out our knowing it, we would lock up and head out for the day and come home to a chicken in the house lol. Somehow she managed to never make a mess.

She came down with some sort of sickness last week, having trouble breathing very lethargic so we took her to the vet to help her along. At the same time we could have a post Mortam done to find out what she had.

Below is a clip of her when she first started to figure out how to come and go through the magic mesh.

I will miss her daily visits....
RIP "house chicken"

 

[camilleathome]

We are getting our first two chickens because I just dont want to have to wait four months untill we are in our farm. So they will be indoor chickens. It took a bit to convince my hubby but hes fine with it now. I think hes as excited about it as I am now .

 

[kcmerenda]

I have a little bantam game hen named Gray Pearl. Somehow last fall, she snuck in through the front door and began a nest in the lower kitchen cupboard. She was so careful about her whole nesting project that I did not even know that she was inside and in the cupboard for two weeks! (This probably does not reflect well upon me When I found her, she had nine little eggs almost ready to hatch. I thought, How much trouble/mess can one little hen and her children be? So she stayed and hatched out her chicks in the kitchen cupboard. It was amazingly sweet to see her lead her little family around the kitchen, showing them where the chicken food dish and chicken waterer were, showing her chicks that one small fierce hen can terrify overly curious house cats and dogs.

 

[fairsing farm]

That is so funny I have a little game hen that is like yours just waiting for her to figure out how to follow me into the house next spring. I could see her setting up a nest in my house too..that is so cute that you let her hatch them post pics is u have any

 

[JacquiJ]

I am so glad I found this! Nice to know I'm not the only one.lol! We have a little black silkie pullet, Nera. She loves to cuddle on the couch. She was supposed to be euthanized but I wasn't about to let that happen, so I took her home and she has been inside ever since.

 

[ChickenPeep]

Oh my gosh thank you so much for making this!! My silkie- Cochin cross Ebony is my favorite house chicken. She lives in our basement but we get her out all the time. We get her outside as much as possible. Ebony knows her way around the house and will even come upstairs to visit us.
Since she live inside and doesn't always get all the nutrition she needs from the grass, I've been making something called fodder. Here's a link on it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens

And here is Ebony!!