Safe to keep baby chicks inside?

[nicole1745]

I am getting ready to buy some baby chicks. I am a first time chicken owner so I have been doing lots of research. I know the babies need to be kept inside to stay warm but is it safe to keep them in our living room? I have children and the only place inside I have to put them is in the living room until we're able to transfer them outside. I only plan on getting about 3 females. I do not have a basement or heated garage. Is this safe? Thoughts on this?

 

[Judy]

It's safe for them but not a good idea for you, as you will be breathing their dander, dust from the litter, dried poop dust, etc. With planning, an unheated garage will work fine, or you can just brood them right in their coop.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/735392/redneck-fungshui-brooding-17-degree-temperatures/0_20

 

[Wol1]

We kept ours in the tub in the bathroom. Fortunately we had a shower in a second bathroom. Eventually they were in a big box suspended from the far edge of the tub across the toilet seat. As they grew we had to keep getting larger containers and re jerry-rigging the light.

Believe what first responder said about dust. Don't underestimate it. It gets everywhere, including in your lungs. It took several hours to get all the dust out of the bathroom after we moved them to the coop. I sometimes still (a year later) find it in odd places (on top of the round thing at the end of the curtain rod...top of the handle on the upper tilt-in window.....).

Chicks also make quite a mess. They get their waterer and feeder filthy, you will need to fill their feeder frequently, their pen needs to be cleaned frequently (did I say they're messy?) All of it makes a big mess. So put them somewhere easy to clean and get them in their coop under a big, safe! warm light as soon as possible. We blocked off a portion of the coop to keep them confined in a smaller area so it was easier for them to stay warm.

Enjoy your chicks! Your life will never be the same.

 

[nicole1745]

Thanks so much for the information. I have small children so I think I am going to wait until it gets warmer outside so I can keep them in the garage. I live in Illinois. When do you think would be a good time to get the chicks?

 

[AmandaChick]

You can go ahead and put them out there as long as they have a light and brooder box. Even cardboard or a plastic tote will work. U will need bedding for the bottom

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

We had 6 chicks in our living room for a month. It was a fun way for my children to experience the chicks. If you use a container with high sides, it shouldn't be too messy. I cleaned often to make sure our house didn't smell, which is also good for their health. We did have to move them to a larger container at about 3 weeks.

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

Also, we vacuumed the living room almost daily.

 

[Judy]

You can brood them in the garage now. Check out the link I gave you above.

 

[Sonya9]

Like CrazyChickGirl I have had mine in the kitchen for the last three weeks. The temps are still fluctuating a LOT here in Georgia (older house so the house temps fluctuate a lot too) and I wanted them close by so I could keep an eye on them and adjust their heat as needed (plus if they did get chilled and started to cry I would hear it). Having them in the house also allows for much more bonding time, their brooder is a wire dog kennel with plastic over the front door so they can see out all day long. I also have a bunch of house dogs (most of whom cannot be trusted with the chicks) so the brooder is up on a table and lined with cardboard/plastic so no chick heads can peep out, and no dogs can get in. Also having it elevated makes it much easier for me to give treats, clean, handle the chicks etc...

It is my first time having chicks and I want to do what I can to make them tame and social. They do make a mess of their cage though! Between the poop and the spilled food etc...I replace the paper towels at least twice a day (I prefer paper towels as I can just roll the dirty ones up and throw them away then quickly lay down fresh, I started out with wood shavings but that was too hard to clean.

 

[273816]

I keep mine inside in a small room beside our kitchen. It has a door which we keep slightly open for air and they have constant electricity for their heat lamp. I close the door at night and clean their cage out every day so they don't start to smell. I don't see the problem with it.

I do have 4 dogs and a cat, but they seem fine and not at all put off by the little chirps coming from the room. Hope all goes well!