people with house chickens

[Sylvester017]

My daughter was going to have two pet house silkies, but our barn cat managed to get inside, get past dad, and killed one before dad could react/stop him.

Since that happened, we had a baby that hatched on the same day, who I've named star.

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Star and Rexi are doing very well together. Rexi is going to be 3 or 4 weeks on monday. (I can't remember the exact week. haha I'm terrible.) Rexi's a little shy, she was in the brooder when Sally was killed, so she's been skittish since then, but she's taken Star under her wing and mothering her. She showed her how to eat, how to get water, and she sits on top of her to keep her warm.

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Any suggestions on a good cage, as they get older? We were thinking either a parrot cage, modified or a rabbit hutch.

If you are using the housing only for sleeping/laying eggs purposes than anything you use will be fine. Silkies will be happy to roost/sleep in a plastic nestbox. I use a sturdy Homz Kidz box as a nestbox inside a 4x4 dog kennel that has a door -- the only color these Homz Modular Storage come in is black now and Walmart still has them online for approx $18. These small Homz Modular are getting scarcer to find but are a perfect size for a Silkie to sleep, and straw or egg doesn't roll out -- I recommend 2 boxes for 2 Silkies:

Our in-house chickens are only inside during quarantine or illness so we never have more than one chicken in the house at a time. We have the kennel but allow the chickens to roam the house if they want - I close off rooms I don't want them in and we have tile floors - no carpet. I hope your two Silkies are not a boy and a girl otherwise the boy will over-mate the single female. 2 females or 2 males would be good but not one of each for the sake of not having the female worn out from one randy male. GL!

 

[TOOCLOSE]

What are you all using for your nesting box inside the house? Amber Dash eats any type of paper. I am not crazy about pine shavings because of the scent and same with hay. I think I might be out of options?
Thanks.

I use cut grass from the lawn!

 

[TOOCLOSE]

I wanted to stop by to let all those that have read my stories know our Precious indoor little Maria passed away on Labor Day! We had her for six years! She was a daddy's girl! He made her a wooden box for a coffin. Then he took one of her baby blankets and wrapped her up in it. Then he placed her in her little wooden box! I didn't think he was going to be able to nail it shut. He just stood there with hammer and nail in his hand. He was crying so hard I started crying again! After he managed to get her coffin nailed shut, he picked the box up and held it in his arm like he always used to do carrying Maria! He took her into the house and then got the tractor and dug her grave. After the hole was dug he came inside, got the box and told me to come on. He placed the coffin so gently into the grave and then just stood there holding the shovel. After several attempts, he finally got her covered up.

My husband always called Maria his little girl! I tried so hard to save her! I told him I was sorry I couldn't save her this time. He broke down and just lost it! He doesn't blame me for her death and he knows I went above and beyond trying to save her!

It all happened so fast! She stopped eating. She was passing really foul smelling poops. I think she ate a dead slimy worm while outside. Her face smelled like one. I was washing her booty in the sink and I felt something wet on my arm. When I looked where her head was at? I saw she had puked up some of the baby parrot food I had fed her. Then she started throwing up everything. I gave her a little water to get the stuff out of her mouth and throat, then wrapped her in her blankie. She dribbled small amounts of stuff out of her mouth for hours after that. At 6:30 AM Monday morning last week? She passed!

I had been telling my story to PPL on FB and an Angel amongst them told me she was sending us a runt Silkie baby! Ummmmm WHAT? Maria was a runt too. And I knew it would be hard to find another so I wasn't even trying! Then this Angel sends us a four day old runt with her bigger sister. This little runt is no bigger than my husbands thumb! Tiny tiny little babe. He picks her up and holds her close while tears run down his cheeks! She snuggles under his bearded chin and starts talking to her new daddy!

As one little runt that depended on us so much leaves us? Another little runt comes into our lives! The other babe will/is going to be my little girl! They both will be indoor girls!

 

[kajira]

I wanted to stop by to let all those that have read my stories know our Precious indoor little Maria passed away on Labor Day! We had her for six years! She was a daddy's girl! He made her a wooden box for a coffin. Then he took one of her baby blankets and wrapped her up in it. Then he placed her in her little wooden box! I didn't think he was going to be able to nail it shut. He just stood there with hammer and nail in his hand. He was crying so hard I started crying again! After he managed to get her coffin nailed shut, he picked the box up and held it in his arm like he always used to do carrying Maria! He took her into the house and then got the tractor and dug her grave. After the hole was dug he came inside, got the box and told me to come on. He placed the coffin so gently into the grave and then just stood there holding the shovel. After several attempts, he finally got her covered up.

My husband always called Maria his little girl! I tried so hard to save her! I told him I was sorry I couldn't save her this time. He broke down and just lost it! He doesn't blame me for her death and he knows I went above and beyond trying to save her!

It all happened so fast! She stopped eating. She was passing really foul smelling poops. I think she ate a dead slimy worm while outside. Her face smelled like one. I was washing her booty in the sink and I felt something wet on my arm. When I looked where her head was at? I saw she had puked up some of the baby parrot food I had fed her. Then she started throwing up everything. I gave her a little water to get the stuff out of her mouth and throat, then wrapped her in her blankie. She dribbled small amounts of stuff out of her mouth for hours after that. At 6:30 AM Monday morning last week? She passed!

I had been telling my story to PPL on FB and an Angel amongst them told me she was sending us a runt Silkie baby! Ummmmm WHAT? Maria was a runt too. And I knew it would be hard to find another so I wasn't even trying! Then this Angel sends us a four day old runt with her bigger sister. This little runt is no bigger than my husbands thumb! Tiny tiny little babe. He picks her up and holds her close while tears run down his cheeks! She snuggles under his bearded chin and starts talking to her new daddy!

As one little runt that depended on us so much leaves us? Another little runt comes into our lives! The other babe will/is going to be my little girl! They both will be indoor girls!

I am so sorrry you lost her! But it sounds like it worked out in the end. Congrats on your new babies!

 

[joemarcia]

My girl is Goldie. She has made herself our house chicken. She runs for the door during outside time. Our chihuahua Santana loves her so much. She will check her from butt to forehead when she gets around her. We love her to pieces!

 

[kajira]

If you are using the housing only for sleeping/laying eggs purposes than anything you use will be fine. Silkies will be happy to roost/sleep in a plastic nestbox. I use a sturdy Homz Kidz box as a nestbox inside a 4x4 dog kennel that has a door -- the only color these Homz Modular Storage come in is black now and Walmart still has them online for approx $18. These small Homz Modular are getting scarcer to find but are a perfect size for a Silkie to sleep, and straw or egg doesn't roll out -- I recommend 2 boxes for 2 Silkies:

Our in-house chickens are only inside during quarantine or illness so we never have more than one chicken in the house at a time. We have the kennel but allow the chickens to roam the house if they want - I close off rooms I don't want them in and we have tile floors - no carpet. I hope your two Silkies are not a boy and a girl otherwise the boy will over-mate the single female. 2 females or 2 males would be good but not one of each for the sake of not having the female worn out from one randy male. GL!

I'm still trying to figure out the best housing arrangement for them. Star is a cochin, and Rexi is our living silkie. I've got more silkies in the incubator, and another batch to put into our bigger incubator in a few days once I order them on monday. SO I'll have plenty of silkies to pick from if Star turns out to be a boy.... although our other cochin rooster doesn't seem to wear out his two hens, he's pretty gentle with them. He has a RIR and a cochin female for company in our adult flock outside. our RIR eggs are also never fertile, and since our cochin keeps going broody, he doesn't bug her much.

So, maybe he's a failure as a roo? LOL Or he's just nicer than most? My daughter carries him around under her arm like a football and talks to him and pets him.

I've got 7ish more babies, that are maturing right now in a juvie pen next to my adult flock so they can get to know them while they grow up. Once they are big enough, i'll move them to his coop.

 

[Sylvester017]

I'm still trying to figure out the best housing arrangement for them. Star is a cochin, and Rexi is our living silkie. I've got more silkies in the incubator, and another batch to put into our bigger incubator in a few days once I order them on monday. SO I'll have plenty of silkies to pick from if Star turns out to be a boy.... although our other cochin rooster doesn't seem to wear out his two hens, he's pretty gentle with them. He has a RIR and a cochin female for company in our adult flock outside. our RIR eggs are also never fertile, and since our cochin keeps going broody, he doesn't bug her much.

So, maybe he's a failure as a roo? LOL Or he's just nicer than most? My daughter carries him around under her arm like a football and talks to him and pets him.

I've got 7ish more babies, that are maturing right now in a juvie pen next to my adult flock so they can get to know them while they grow up. Once they are big enough, i'll move them to his coop.

I was under the impression you only had 2 house birds. Sounds like you are building up an outdoor flock? So nice to have chickens for your DD to be pets. Hatching so many adorable chicks you might find it hard to part with the excess birds unless you already have future homes for them?

 

[kajira]

I was under the impression you only had 2 house birds. Sounds like you are building up an outdoor flock? So nice to have chickens for your DD to be pets. Hatching so many adorable chicks you might find it hard to part with the excess birds unless you already have future homes for them?

Our outside adult flock, contains 3 adult hens. We started off with 8, but we lost 2 to heat stroke, 1 to a dog attack, one that the other chickens killed the first day we got them, and then our little gray one died randomly for no reason. I'm assuming she had an egg issue because she was our only hen I never saw lay an egg.
We have 8 easter eggers in a seperate flock, and then we are starting an outdoor silkie flock, also in their own pen.

My mixed flock, will be with my cochin roo, which will consist of 1 RIR hen, 1 red sex linked, 3 polish crested hens, and a total of 4 cochin females. I may add some more red sex linked down the road.

We will have the little silkie, and the little black one, in the house. The rest will be outside.

I drew the line at 2 inside chickens. LOL

And, for what it's worth, we just like chickens, and have the room for them. We also like the eggs, and my daughter spends hours per day with them inside/outside, so i'm okay if we have a lot of birds.

We also have goats, ponies, dogs, cats, and I'm going to be ordering some ducks and turkeys. I'm also tempted to get a goose. But my 12 year old is terrified of geese.

Oh, and yes, down where we live, silkies and easter eggers are in high demand, as are farm fresh eggs. We only get 1 egg per day, from my RIR, so with a family of 6+ we get to eat eggs about 1x a week. LOL

 

[Sylvester017]

We will have the little silkie, and the little black one, in the house. The rest will be outside.

I drew the line at 2 inside chickens. LOL

And, for what it's worth, we just like chickens, and have the room for them. We also like the eggs, and my daughter spends hours per day with them inside/outside, so i'm okay if we have a lot of birds.

Having animals/livestock is addictive. My Mom had geese on the farm, and ducks, chickens, goats, sheep, horse, and cows. She eventually eliminated the troublesome larger livestock and stayed with just poultry. They consume less feed, and still provide eggs and meat for the table. Mom loved her geese but then she got them as goslings so that they were good with the family but terror on visitors - great watchdogs and they lay huge eggs. Our geese knew who we were and didn't bother us - only went after strangers or stray animals.

 

[kajira]

Having animals/livestock is addictive. My Mom had geese on the farm, and ducks, chickens, goats, sheep, horse, and cows. She eventually eliminated the troublesome larger livestock and stayed with just poultry. They consume less feed, and still provide eggs and meat for the table. Mom loved her geese but then she got them as goslings so that they were good with the family but terror on visitors - great watchdogs and they lay huge eggs. Our geese knew who we were and didn't bother us - only went after strangers or stray animals.

That's why I wanted a goose. a protection animal. I'm hoping the turkeys... will play that roll somewhat. I've heard they do okay in that capacity as well. But either way, I love turkey meat.

I love goats milk, so the goats will be for milking, and with the amount of almond milk my kids go through and the cost of goats milk in the store, between selling the babies, eating a few, we'll end up saving a lot of milk. We currently have 4 kids, one's hitting teenage years, and I bet he'd drink a gallon per day, on top of everything else he eats if I let him.

A lot of the broodier birds will stop laying for long periods, so I need to have a good flock of regular layers in order to get enough eggs to actually eat them on a regular basis. We still end up having to buy store bought eggs, because our RIR is the only one who lays on a regular basis. Even when my cochin wasn't broody, she only laid 3-4 eggs a week, at the most.