Pooping in the House...or on Your Lap

[hokankai]

I see so many pictures of people with their chicks/chickens in the house, on their laps, desks, you name it...but don't they poop on you? When my girls were very little I liked having them on my lap, but always had a paper towel or puppy pad to catch and poops.

What do you guys do to prevent your chickens from pooping on you or in the house when you have them with you? I'm looking into investing in a diaper or a "panty" from MyPetChicken but am not sure of the difference between the two.

 

[cackydoodledoo]

I wonder about this too. I see where lots of people let them in and they wander all over. You see pics of them on furniture and their tables. I know I don't want that chicken poo in my house!!! I don't even wear my boots in the house after being in the coop. They always get left of the back step.

 

[dianaross77]

Yes. They poop everywhere and anywhere. The more often they eat (chicks vs grown) the more often they poop. If you feed them treats while they're out, they're sure to poop. I keep clorox wipes handy at all times, washcloths for them sit on when in a lap, and I don't have carpet.

 

[azygous]

Actually, it's possible to paper train a chicken. Whenever I've had to bring a hen or rooster inside to reside in a pet crate for a period of time, I haul them out of the cage every two hours and place them on a newspaper on the window shelf I have in my garage. They are very reluctant to poop in the crate, and it almost always remains poop-free. As soon as they're put on the paper, they go. This has been all natural, involving no training. But when a chicken of mine is given free-run of the house, there's a trail of poop wherever they go.

However, a BYC'er awhile back came up with a method to actually potty-train a chicken. She claims a high rate of success. I've wanted to give it a try but can't find one of those "cricket clickers" anywhere. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=392545&p=1

 

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
If there is a PetsMart or petco around you, you should be able to find a clicker in the training aids section.

 

[azygous]

Re: the clicker - thanks hugely for that tip on where to buy them!

 

[cackydoodledoo]

Quote:
I think this is why they are supposed to be outside animals. With little kids running around my house I can't imagine how much poop would get tracked all over when they inadvertently stepped in it. The last thing I would want to do is be walking barefoot and step in a pile of chicken crap. I don't know how you guys do it!!

 

[azygous]

Well, I learned very quickly, like within two minutes, that chickens running free in the house is just not workable.

Then there was the cat. He is scared to death of chickens.

But some people do have them in the house. Most of them wear those little chicken diapers, though.