people with house chickens

[SarahGfa]

It is fun to find out what they like and dislike for stimulation, especially when there are 2 parakeets and a pigeon sharing the living room. They have their preferred shows and let us know when they want the channel to be changed. The parakeets have been mimicking the music from their favorite shows, as well as the chickens and pigeon, and provide entertainment by playing with their toys and bouncing around their cage. They've taught the chickens and pigeon how to play with toys. Add to all of that 3 dogs and a cat. The cat leaves the chickens alone, and the dogs herd them back to their allowed roaming space. The birds are never out unsupervised, since I refuse to risk any of the animals getting hurt, and having potential hunters and prey together unsupervised is inherently dangerous.

Wow I did not know that chickens can get along with other birds. I was thinking about getting my disabled hen a buddy, but since she might have Marek's I don't know if it would be safe to get a new chicken. But a different species might work!

 

[Anansi]

You need to be careful, chickens don't always like other birds. Mine don't have time out together for interaction, and each species has their own enclosure. They are all within sight of each other, which is how they learn from each other. For example, the pigeon was able to observe one of the chickens getting water from their waterer, which is the same as his. Once he watched a couple times, he was able to use his waterer without a problem. They are all very intelligent birds, and observant, so learning from each other is not that difficult.

Chickens can, and will, go after smaller birds and animals. I've watched our one chicken contemplate attacking the pigeon while he was in my lap getting his weekly check. If she had the chance, she could have very easily done serious damage. My suggestion for companionship is to spend several hours throughout the day interacting with her. While you're home let her free range in the house, but crate her when you have to leave. If you have room, Amazon has some enclosures and small coops that will work inside the house. I suggest keeping the enclosure on tile or linoleum. If you don't have room for that, a piece of plywood cut just a little larger than the enclosure and covered with self adhering floor tiles works well.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

You are the best company aside from another chicken.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

That is a good idea. Are you worried about bugs escaping in the house? I used to give my hen dishes of black soldier fly larvae when she was refusing to eat, because she loves those. A couple weeks later I kept finding big black flies all over the house - turns out she didn't eat the larvae, they crawled out and hid somewhere dark until they turned into flies

Oh man! It was just worms for us...

 

[silkiemother]

I can not wait to get my House silkie

 

[SarahGfa]

While you're home let her free range in the house, but crate her when you have to leave. If you have room, Amazon has some enclosures and small coops that will work inside the house. I suggest keeping the enclosure on tile or linoleum. If you don't have room for that, a piece of plywood cut just a little larger than the enclosure and covered with self adhering floor tiles works well.

I tried that for a few hours today, and she seemed to enjoy wandering around. That diaper fills up so fast!

Do indoor chickens like coops better than crates? I thought the big dog crate would be good because she can see everyone walking around the house. But I could easily make a "living room coop" out of a big cardboard box

 

[KentuckyRooster]

I use crates myself. I don't know that they care, they seem content enough.

 

[silkiemother]

my soon to be house chicken and me

 

[silkiemother]

my silkie baby is moving in for the day at the end of the quarter!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

I agree with you! The cage made sense when she was too sick to move, but now she wants to be out and about. That is so great that you made your own diapers for the Silkie, I was inspired and made a diaper out of a sock. She did not mind it too too much because it is very lightweight. But the sock doesn't stay in place over her vent and most of her poops ended up on top of the sock. I might buy a premade one instead but the ones for sale all look so bulky and heavy.

For a secure placement over the vent, the poop pouch needs to be secured under the chicken's body between the legs and up over the top shoulders and if you notice most pre-made diapers there's a bib-front on the breast that goes under between the legs and attaches to the poop pouch from the underside while the top side has two straps going from the bib-front over the shoulders to the topside of the poop pouch and then the two straps are either velcro'd or connected on top somewhere between the shoulders/wings. Even then, sometimes the diaper shifts or drops and the poops wind up on top of the pouch rather than inside the pouch -- it happens but not often. My Silkie once layed a little egg inside her poop pouch and the diaper was dragging on the floor behind her, poor baby, but it was funny!


I think it is Marek's but am not sure, because no other chickens in the flock have symptoms. She became fully paralyzed a couple months ago. Since then her right side is mostly recovered, but her left leg is unsteady and left wing doesn't have any strength.

I hope it's not Marek's that your girl has/had. Marek's paralyzes and when the chicken walks she can't keep balance and falls over, sometimes standing is difficult and falls over just standing. When my Marek's chicken got really bad she sat around a lot with one leg outstretched/paralyzed. Eventually there must've been a lot of pain and the chicken loses her appetite and slowly dies. Marek's is a cancer type that attacks the spinal cord which causes the leg paralysis. It is progressively debilitating if it's Marek's. Have you had a vet diagnose it for sure and not an injury-related paralysis? When our sweet Taffy (my Avatar picture) got Marek's the vet said sometimes chickens can recover but it eventually returns when the cancer has progressed and attackes the spinal cord. He sent us home with our Taffy and said to watch if she got better but she didn't -- she stopped eating or drinking and we all made the sad but necessary decision to put her down:

Taffy used to spend a lot of time lying down and not out with the others

Taffy was a pretty Blue Wheaten Ameraucana

Taffy layed the prettiest XL Blue eggs compared to the LG white egg of the Breda and Smaller tinted egg of the Silkie

Our last day with Taffy when we finally had to take her to the vet for euthanizing. She didn't touch her food or water for 2 full days and could not even stand up any more -- so incredibly SAD! R.I.P., sweet baby!