Safe to keep baby chicks inside?

[happyfeet456]

I am a first timer as well, and I was so confused as to what to do with my little chicks. At first, I kept them in a cardboard box inside my room (my room is conveniently located on the first floor next to my yard), and with them in it all day. As they grew older, I gave them more and more outside play time, and bring them in for the night so they don’t get eaten by raccoons. Now, they (about 3 weeks old) spend the entire day in my backyard (with food and water), they don’t need a pen either, they know not to squeeze through the wooden fence. At night, all I have to do is call them, and they come right inside.

 

[JaeG]

Don't get pet cockatiels if you think chicks are messy. The dust and mess created by our 3 cockatiels far exceeds the mess our 4 chicks make (they are almost ready to go outside). But our cockatiels are so cute and so loving they are worth all that mess and dust.

 

[Kiraeh]

I have a 2' by 4' brooder in my porch off the kitchen. I made it with all hardware cloth walls, the 1/4" keeps almost all the shavings inside, it just needs a light sweep every morning. It's raised up so all the feed goes underneath, very convenient and easy for everyone. Maybe a bit too close to the kitchen for optimal chicken hygiene, but it's nice to have them at hand, they're right next to the door out to the compost for cleaning, and they get a lot more attention here.
I absolutely recommend, if possible, to raise the brooder and set it up so you can go in from the side, it's much less stressful for the chicks and easier to interact with them.

 

[charlotte-and-the-bees]

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?

The concerns I would see is your kids meddling with the brooder or if you have an unstable heat lamp. Other than that I'm sure it's fine!