who else has chicks in the house??

[Taylorhens]

I stop short of keeping "house chickens" -- even if I wanted to my dogs and cats would not allow it. But I have my chicks in the house for the first two weeks or so, in a big rubbermaid tub in the bathroom. Towards the end it gets a bit stinky, even though I leave the fan meant to clear humidity after a shower running full time. When they start to stink, I know it's time to move them out to my barn. I currently have 4 polish and 2 buff orps in my bathroom!

 

[Anianna]

In regards to chicken diapers, My Pet Chicken carries them or you can make some yourself from patterns you can find online. I'm done with changing diapers, so my chickens are going outside.

I don't like any birds in the house because of the mess, but I have an immune deficiency and have had salmonella, so that probably plays a big role in my aversion to indoor birds.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

2 dozen mixed week olds in a brooder in the basement, a little noisy and smelly even for my lax rural redneck standards. The chicks need to go into a section the outdoor brooder waggon that needs to be emptied of seventy some 4 week old X rocks. Trouble is the meat bird tractor is not 100% finished, turkeys also come in a week or two and need space in the brooder waggon... Meaties must go outside NOW but bee hives coming day after tomorrow and I still need to finish hive boxes and solar charger for electric fence to keep the bears out. On top of that can't plant a darn thing in the ground yet as there is still 6 inches of standing water in the fields and another 3 inches of rain in the forcast which does not look good for many $$$ of garlic bulbs seeded last fall nor either instaling bee nucs or puting young meat birds into the tractor ultimatly bringing me back to why the chicks are still in the basement.

 

[ginbart]

We did a New Years Eve hatch on here so I had chicks in the house from the first of January until the beginning of April. I had to put them outside because of to much dust. lol But I've had a mommy silkie and 5 chicks in the house for 2 months because the other silkies killed 2 of the chicks. Now I have 4 eggs in the bator and 5 chicks in a plastic contaner.

SO nope you are not alone.

 

[laseterlass]

1 and a half weeks and about to go in the garage. They are in my office and the dust is not good for the puter.

 

[autsie]

I have the bator in my room (ocd about the temp. etc.

), and a large dog crate in the mud room with 5 three and a half week old orp babies. I don't find the dust bad, but we have hard flooring and can sweep and vacuum daily. I did draw the line with the first batch hatching when they were in our room with a lamp in the brooder for 2 nights. Mama couldn't sleep at all and you know the saying about "When mama isn't happy, ain't nobody gonna be happy"

Well, the next morning they were moved to the mud room and will be moving to the big girls house as soon as the new eggs hatch (in another 2 1/2 weeks). I think I do draw the line though of having them wander the house and poop every where. That to me is just too much. But, to each his own!

 

[TerryQui]

I am new to this forum, but I have raised birds in the house for four years. They have their own room.
http://www.feathersnsong.com
I now have two dozen chick eggs in my incubator and have a 4 x 2 enclosed bird aviary that they will be going into when they hatch.
We are in the process of getting the permit and building the coop etc.
I am trying to find out from someone how to handle the vet papers. I cannot take all my chickens to the vets and pay a fortune for checkups. That is just ridiculous. If anyone has an easy solution for that to appease my health dept., I would love to hear it.
I have been in small animal husbandry for 25 years.
I have raised hamsters, rats, mice, bunnies, bearded dragons, gecko's, meal worms, super worms, crickets, birds and now chickens.
I have done this all indoors. The mice were the worst smell and even using an air cleaner wasn't enough, so I had to quit with them.
I am a farmer at heart, my grampa was a farmer, so I don't mind smells, but I don't allow smells in the house.
I did incubate button quail once and raised them indoors, but found them aggressive toward each other in small aviaries, so I placed them with folks who had large aviaries.
I am doing square foot gardens this summer and the chickens. I love all of this and what is involved. It is my total heart.
I just hate having someone that I have to appease and be under their headship.
People have dogs in their back yards that bark 24/7 and don't need a permit. Why go through so many hoops for a few chickens?
Mine will probably be the cleanest and healthiest set up possible as that is how I care for my animals anyway. Bird health is preventative. I have learned over the years how to treat and take care of about anything myself and I have saved babies that had problems etc.
I am in Columbus Ohio and if any of you are in my City, I would love to meet you.

Blessings, Terry (mom of nine, four by birth and five adopted, all grown now except one teenager)

 

[zibby]

I have 8, 1 month old silkies in my bathroom and 2, 2 1/2 month old rirs in a converted guinea pig cage in the hall at the top of the stairs. My outdoor facilities are taking longer than expected to ready. I am getting used to the smell, but I am tired of carrying crates of chickens up and down stairs and in and out to their temporary outdoor facilities past 9 dogs that are just waiting for me to trip and drop one. I lost one chick because I overestimated her size and underestimated the size of the wire on the pen.

It's already very hot here in Texas so I am constantly checking to make sure they are in the shade and have enough water. I am terrified to leave them out when I run into town on errands. I hope my permanent pens will be ready soon and we can settle into a regular routine. But these silkies are soooo small.

 

[jenanneray]

Thanks everyone for the comments. It is interesting to see how you all keep the chicks. I was probably just a little t'd off when I wrote the original post, but since then I've had time to go see my OUTSIDE chickens and let them free range a little, and spend some time with my broody momma and her chick. I like them the way they are, they like it there (she doesn't seem to want to come out of the dog kennel though I have left the door open for her), and changing the bedding every couple days does keep the stink to a minimum. I have an indoor cat as well, and I think she stinks more than the chickens. My kids love to watch the temporary house chicken and her baby, and will be absolutely thrilled when the new babies hatch in June.

Please keep the brooder, chick and house chicken stories coming!!

 

[tclegg]

My "baies" are in the spare bedroom...I have plastic under the brooder for safety and it is set-up at waste level to make it easier to get to. I make sure it is kept clean and I don't seem to notice any over whelming smell. I have 16--and know when the start getting biger I will have to add to the height and width of the brooder before the go outside--but this has made it alot easier to keep them safe and secure for me. And my family has totally supported this decision of raising them in the house.