Raising chickens in balcony

[yakitori]

do you know the genders?

 

[Sussex19]

Hello, and welcome to BYC!
Grass won't last long, but what you could do is to get a couple of seed trays, and sow grain in them, and then once it has grown about 5cm tall, give it to them.
That way they get a taste of new grass!
I presume you don't know whether they are male or female yet?
If both are female, you won't have any problems; if both are male they should get ok as long as there isn't any females around. They wouldn't lay eggs of course, but could make nice pets as long as they don't get aggressive.
However, if you end up with one male and one female, that can be problematic. Roosters often need 6 or more hens, otherwise they will over breed the hens, and make the miserable.
It can work keeping a pair, but in many cases it will not, so have a plan B.

 

[Evadig]

X2

Don’t get discouraged that you don’t have a traditional setup, you can do it! I raised chicks in a hotel for two months and they turned out fine. You could also get a couple of low lying bins from Walmart and fill it with sand or dirt for them to scratch and dust bathe in.

 

[tanvirglhs]

Do you live in an apartment?
Is there a roof over the balcony?
How much direct sun does the balcony get?
Can you post a couple pics of it?
Where in this world are you located?

- Yes, I live in an apartment.
- The balcony is completely covered by the roof.
- It doesn't get much direct sunlight (only a little in the morning). Most of the day there is no direct sunlight. Rain and snow only affect the boundaries. Therefore most of the balcony remains dry.
- I'm located in Ruhr area, Germany. Thanks for the suggestion. I updated my profile.

 

[tanvirglhs]

I presume you don't know whether they are male or female yet?

Thanks for the suggestions, especially for plan B (which I'm thinking too). I watched a few YouTube videos and read web posts on ways to figure out the male/female thing. According to the feather and vent sexing, they are both females.

 

[tanvirglhs]

do you know the genders?

As far as I know, they are both females.

 

[Sussex19]

Thanks for the suggestions, especially for plan B (which I'm thinking too). I watched a few YouTube videos and read web posts on ways to figure out the male/female thing. According to the feather and vent sexing, they are both females.

Feather sexing only works on specific breeds/crosses, not just any chicks.
You need either the dad or mum to have the fast feathering gene, and the other parent to have the slow feathering gene. (sorry, I can't remember which way round it is)
So with just your average chicken it doesn't mean anything.
Vent sexing is accurate, but is a skill that needs lots of practice, and even the experts don't get it right all the time.
All this is not to say you are wrong, but just so you know that you may not know until later on.
At around 6 to 8 weeks is when it normaly starts to become obvious, (comb develpment is the main give a way) and you can post photos of them in the 'what breed or gender' forum if you need any help.

 

[tanvirglhs]

At around 6 to 8 weeks is when it normaly starts to become obvious, (comb develpment is the main give a way) and you can post photos of them in the 'what breed or gender' forum if you need any help.

Thanks. They are both Swedish Flower Hens (or roosters If I figured out wrong).

 

[Sussex19]

Thanks. They are both Swedish Flower Hens (or roosters If I figured out wrong).

I would love to have a Swedish flower hen! You are very lucky!
I don't know if feather sexing would work with them, @SilverBirds might know, or might know someone who would.