What constitutes a "house chicken?"

[mikki717]

I do not have a chicken that lives in my house... I have a conure that has free range of her 2,000 square foot cage er, my house. I go on poop patol regularly.

My chicken coop can get pretty nasty poop wise... how do you control a chicken to use the "WC"? Can you potty train a chicken?

 

[Camelot Farms]

I dunno about training, but they make chicken diapers....

 

[NYREDS]

As to "what constitutes a house chicken" at my house it's one that's ready to be cooked.

 

[teach1rusl]

Some folks keep a pet chicken in their home. They may have a little shelter/pen for night time or away from home time, but basically the bird ranges about the house during the day. Many people do use chicken diapers (and I suppose larger tropical birds could use these too

). Other's have birds that may stay out in the coop for the night, but are allowed to come visit/hang out in the house during the day.
Other than when we've left the door open on a pretty morning and the girls came strolling through "accidentally," mine are only in the house if I'm treating them for an ailment or bathing them (poopy butt feathers).

 

[henney penny]

We had a house baby she was hatched out in an incubator and lived in the aquirum for a few weeks in the house and watched tv with dh in the evenings,tried to put her out under mama with babies and no way she thought she was a human so now she out in the silkie coop with her own kind but still in her house cause she is afraid of the other chickens and they try to pick on her, she will have to stay in her house untill she can fend for herselfe.

 

[95yj]

i usually have about 20 house chickens at any given time, there surprisingly easy to keep clean and quiet, in fact mine are all individualy bagged and in the freezer, they don't even move that often. Sorry, but in my opinion chickens were meant to be outside animals, thats not to say i don't spoil them rotten, and sometimes before winter shows they spend a few weeks of luxury in the basement to get prepped, but for the most part they live outside.

 

[mychickensrock]

Our little banty girls come peck at the sliding glass door to come in and lay their egg. We have an old feed bag full of shredded paper just inside our laundry room. As soon as we open the door, they run straight for that bag. It's nice and peaceful for them. I guess they are semi-house chickens. I wouldn't let the standards in like that, but banty poop is usually pretty tiny and easy to clean up.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

House chickens usually have a cage or enclosure in the house. Some house chickens go outside to enjoy the day, like dogs that live indoors, but go outside to play and run. It's common for them to wear chicken diapers when they are loose in the house. Have you ever seen the flight suits for parrots? It's the same basic design. Flight suits come in sizes for birds from budgies to macaws. My African grey is potty trained, so he doesn't wear one. He holds it until he's back on one of his play areas or in his cage.

I've heard of a pet rooster that would go peck on the door when he wanted to outside and poop, but there hasn't been much success in potty training chickens at this point. I think mostly because people haven't tried. I always read that chickens couldn't be potty trained because they couldn't hold their poop in. Well, I'm not sure I believe that, after living with chickens. Broodies and roosting birds hold it in. Hens waiting to use the favorite nest will pace and become annoyed while they wait, but still hold that egg in until they get into the nest. Mine never poop on me, when I'm holding them, but will poop after they are put down. I think there is at least a minimal ability there.

Until someone does it, many things are thought to be impossible.