people with house chickens

[MaddiesMum]

We (almost) have a house chicken! His name is Crooky. (He's a crossbeak) He's a almost house chicken because we had to amputate one of his feet, so currently he's healing in a cage. We've tried to diaper him, but he acts like a two year old, thrashing around, then eventually going limp, and refusing to move until we take it off.

Maybe just keep trying a few minutes a day,and then offering his favourite treats a few feet away while it's still on, mealworms are always a hit! ..he may forget about the diaper if he sees them squiggling around!
And it's possible that if you keep taking it off every time he throws a fit, he'll learn very quickly that throwing a fit gets the diaper removed haha, might need a bit of tough love there. Wishing you all the best with your special guy! He's a cutie!

 

[PBGGG]

Wow! He is so cute!

What is his story? Like, how did he have to have his foot amputated?

 

[BellChell123]

Maybe just keep trying a few minutes a day,and then offering his favourite treats a few feet away while it's still on, mealworms are always a hit! ..he may forget about the diaper if he sees them squiggling around!
And it's possible that if you keep taking it off every time he throws a fit, he'll learn very quickly that throwing a fit gets the diaper removed haha, might need a bit of tough love there. Wishing you all the best with your special guy! He's a cutie!

I never thought about treats! I'll try it.

We're mainly just waiting for his foot stump to heal, so he won't open it up again with all his thrashing around.

 

[duckncover]

Hey everyone! Frizzle's dad here. I was wondering if some of the indoor chicken owners could post or describe what they keep their chickens in when they are not walking around the house. Frizzle stays in an old parrot cage that is 28"x22"x37H. I made a plastic cage tray for it so she doesn't have to be on the bars underneath Most of the height she can't use but she does have a big perch that is 22" long and has 2 food bowls she can reach. She likes the "roost" a lot. She also has 2 big food bowls on the floor. I can't find any toys she is interested in. She loves her treats though. Her cage isn't a very big area but I want to know if it's big enough. She doesn't really have room for a nest box unless put it up off of her perch. I don't know if she could find it there. I don't really have any toys that she enjoys but I switch up her cage litter from shredded paper to wood pellets now and then and she enjoys digging in it. She doesn't get a lot of time out of the cage but I try to get her out a few times a week and leave her out until she returns to her cage on her own. I got her in the fall and she loved being outside but when I take her out in the snow she just sits there. I'm hoping to get her outside more in the summer. I might be able to put her in a dog crate out on the porch for part of the day when it's nice out. However my mom will not let me build or buy a coop for her. I'm working on her about it but she is embarrassed to have one in our yard.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

She loves getting blow dried and having her feet and comb massaged with vaseline. With the warm air she's like "aaaaahhhhhh"..... I love this girl



She is Ms. Marilyn. The fiesty sweet chicken who used to tell me all kinds of stories. She knew her name first. When I would call the girls to go out she was the first in line behind me to the pen and she would go straight to the house when I let them back in for the night. I am praying to God for guidance.

oMG chickie, I wish i could be ther to help you I have often wondered what would i do if i had to do that... I dont know wht to say... I hope someone can help. I cant even imagine what you are going through. Please know that we all are with you in spirit even if we arent there in person. I hope and pray that you can find the strength to do whatever it is you have to do. and still go on after. IM sorry I don't mean to sound morbid, i just love all of my chickens and cant even imagine the pain youmust be going through.... i wish we could take it awway for you....stay strong and I dont even know what else to say.... god bless and take care....

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Have any of you done any traveling with your house chickens? Im trying to figure out some things for if we take Sunni on our little vacation with us. Like what to bring for her to sleep in, what she can stay in when we aren't in the hotel room with her, how to keep people from finding out that she's in the hotel room, etc.

I would never be able to keep her in her coop for three days at home without me. She can't stand it if I leave her in there for longer than a few hours. Plus I don't think she would like going that long without seeing me.

hi chicken momma, i was thinking the same as i have a few hens that keep getting eggbound nd i take a yearly trip back to arkansas to see my elderly daddy. I think im gonna take two hens in dog carriers..... motel 6 will let you take pets and just leash them by leg to pottyl. I guess.... let us know if you think of something else...take care.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Maybe just keep trying a few minutes a day,and then offering his favourite treats a few feet away while it's still on, mealworms are always a hit! ..he may forget about the diaper if he sees them squiggling around!
And it's possible that if you keep taking it off every time he throws a fit, he'll learn very quickly that throwing a fit gets the diaper removed haha, might need a bit of tough love there. Wishing you all the best with your special guy! He's a cutie!

YES! mealworms are always a hit.. My guineas loved mealworms and would eat out of my hands where they wouldnt touch anything else or me.....funny how food works wonders.....Your little man may have some adjustments to make mentally, but he will. I have seen wild animals lose a foot. a story on national geographic comes to mind. a family found a wild owl in a bear trap... had to clip the useless claw off. bird waited two minutes then launched inthe air like nothing happened.... had left one tool instead of two but still made it...take heart. mother nature is much stronger than human nature....

 

[Tacampbell1973]

you can have the option of not being disturbed, but why not choose a pet friendly hotel to start with?

Hi Crickett.
I worked front desk at motel 6.... you can choose to not have room service if you want, just get towels...some properties mandate that you have room service every two days (so they can see you dont have a meth lab) but take your baby out from 10 am to 2 pm maid hours..... hope that helps.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

OMG< ok now im embarassed.... my boys keep trying to hump the hens heads.... what is up with that? Phantom, lots of hope that you get fertile eggs before me, cuz if world population is left upto my featherd sons, we aint going nowhere,....take care.

 

[mrs1885]

This is great!!!! I just started a thread last night about house chickens. I wish I'd seen this first!!!

I'm thinking of getting a house chicken or two and wanted to hear from others with them. I'm looking at either Silver Sebrights or Seramas. Does anyone have experience with either?

Also, I was told that they create a tremendous amount of dust and I'm worried about that. Do you have a lot of dust in the house from them? Hubby has COPD so I worry about that.

What do your chickens live in when they're not running around the house or hanging out with you? We're both retired so they'd be with us pretty much 24/7. It's common for us to not leave the house for three weeks at a time. I usually spend one day running errands and shopping, a few hours once a month doing some follow up shopping, and one day taking hubby to Dr appts. Other than that, we're both always here. Hubby only goes to Dr appts so likely, other than bedtime / over night, chickee would only be in the cage a few hours once a month!

Any other pros and cons you have on keeping a house chicken would be great. Like where do you get the chicken diapers?!