people with house chickens

[ChickenPeep]

VegaJones, I think they're still too young to tell. Sorry, I wish I could help.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

Well, I woke up in the middle of the night to Sunni fidgeting and panting up a storm. I took her out of her crate and now she's snuggled up in the bed next to me. Shhhh! Don't tell my parents! She might have to sleep with me until she gets used to sleeping in the house. Seeing as this is her first night, she's doing pretty good.

 

[MaddiesMum]

Well, I woke up in the middle of the night to Sunni fidgeting and panting up a storm. I took her out of her crate and now she's snuggled up in the bed next to me. Shhhh! Don't tell my parents!

She might have to sleep with me until she gets used to sleeping in the house. Seeing as this is her first night, she's doing pretty good.

Awe! How cute.. we won't tell anyone

It didn't take mine too long to get used to it though, she yelled a little bit the very first night but that was it! Gave her lots of little veggie treats in the morning hahah. Hopefully within a few days Sunni will come around and realize how awesome it is to be a house chicken!

 

[MsChickenMomma]

Awe! How cute.. we won't tell anyone 


It didn't take mine too long to get used to it though, she yelled a little bit the very first night but that was it! Gave her lots of little veggie treats in the morning hahah. Hopefully within a few days Sunni will come around and realize how awesome it is to be a house chicken! 

She was in my bed for about an hour last night. Then she wanted back in her little coop. I woke up several times in the middle of the night and just peeked on her. She was sleeping about half the times I checked on her. I think I need to cut another window in her coop, because she was panting a lot last night. The first thing she did this morning was go get a drink.

 

[ChickenPeep]

Are there any holes in the top of her coop to let heat out? If not you might want to get a drill and put some in the top otherwise she's gonna be a hot girl!

 

[MsChickenMomma]

Are there any holes in the top of her coop to let heat out? If not you might want to get a drill and put some in the top otherwise she's gonna be a hot girl!

Okay, thanks! I'll drill some holes in the top this afternoon. How many and how big of holes do I make?

 

[MaddiesMum]

I'm not sure if it's applicable here but I used to always give Maddie her own fan on hot nights, seemed to help!

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I am so glad I found this thread. I am a firm believer that my chickens are a part of my family and so therefore they should be allowed in the house. My husband tolerates it until they poo on the floor and then he gets mad. But it is understandable as we rent, also our carpet is light beige and I need a steam cleaner badly. I am a terribly messy coffee drinker. Anywhoo, I have 9 chickens and 11 Guinea keets. Oh and a seven year old Pitbull Terrier named Sissy. We call her Sis McGuiss. she is the sweetest silliest dog I have ever known and is getting better about the chickens. She had never seen a chicken until we got our first two last spring. She does okay around the adult chickens but something about the babies peeps triggers something in her. As I said though we are working on it. One of the first girls we got, actually got us. two hens came up the road in our neighbors log truck. They were roosting in it. When he parked it across the street from us, they came with it. When he took it back home, they stayed. So became Agnes and Begawkamagawk our first hens. Neighbors said " guess you got two hens, build "em a coop to lay eggs" word for word. Anyway, Begawky is a game hen cross. I love this bird like no other. She has a broken top beak tip. If she were human I think she would lisp. She has a neck like a snake, and she runs like a roadrunner, but she has the most soft, brown intelligent eyes of any animal. She hates loud noise and my husband and she will begawk at each other over the TV. Hence the name. She has been broody four times since spring. The first time was under the house. Between her and Agnes they were setting on 24 eggs. Had to throw them all out as I didn't know how old they were, and they were unfertilized. Mind you they had a nest box. Second time was on a plastic egg and she sat on it for so long I wondered if it would hatch. Two months. Finally I gave up and caged her for 24 hours. Then she had just got back to egg laying and lo she went broody again. Come spring, I may let her hatch out some eggs, but with an incubator as a back up. It would be awful if she sat on them for 15-20 days and just gave up. Anyway long, long story short, I bring all my birds into the house and snuggle on the couch. Gawky is my favorite to bring in though. She is the size of a robin and I feel so worried about her getting cold. My Cochins, three roos and a hen come in at dinner time and let me know to get cooking. I cook them fresh corn and scratch into a gruel at dinner and they all love it. One roo likes to go into my bedroom and see himself in my mirrored closet doors. I hear him go in and screech at the " other " roo in the "window" and then bonk into the glass. Dork. But the only problem I have with them coming in is like I said pooing on the beige carpet that we don't own. I may get diapers though. It is not uncommon for me to watch TV and doze off with a bird on my chest. There is something relaxing in holding a chicken. I think it is therapeutic. Thank you for listening to me ramble. Short of my very patient husband I don't have anyone else to really talk to and especially not about my beloved chickens.

Begawky my beloved Game Hen Cross

 

[ChickenPeep]

Okay, thanks! I'll drill some holes in the top this afternoon. How many and how big of holes do I make?

Well, or doesn't really matter. I would make them at least 1 cm in diameter if I were you, and maybe make them 2 cm apart...? It doesn't really matter a whole lot as long as heat can escape.

I'm not sure if it's applicable here but I used to always give Maddie her own fan on hot nights, seemed to help!

That would work too. From my experience my chickens hate blowing air and will shake thier heads and do that weird yawning thing... Weirdos. But it sounds like it worked for you so why not give it a try?

 

[MaddiesMum]

Seriously? She loved fans! We used to put a mini one on the couch and she'd plop herself down in front of it