Would it be inhumane to keep a chicken in an apartment?

[PippyChicken]

It seems okay to me but she needs a friend probably.. Get one of those doggie grass Patch things

 

[Brody's Broodello]

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Cat boxes are worse, especially if the cat doesn't cover the poop! I have seen people train their dogs to go indoors in apartments, the smell isn't pleasant. So one little chicken is a lot better than few teacup indoor pooping mutts, or several cats. IMO

 

[GardenerGal]

Cityegger,
I can sympathize. I kept chickens and geese as a child, and even got permission from my university to bring my beloved pair of bantams and their coop with me (it was a state u with an agricultural college, and a barn behind my dormitory!). When I later had to live in a small apartment for nearly 10 years, where no pets except fish and small animals (hamsters, budgies, etc.) were allowed, I almost went crazy. When I bought my house, my choice was based on having woods in back, and a small barn.

My advice, if you must have chickens, is to get a pair of bantam pullets. Breeds such as Old English Game Bantams (OEGB), Seramas, Belgian D'Anvers, and several others are about the size of a pigeon.

Buy the biggest rabbit hutch you can get into your apartment, one that has a shelter box in it and a metal tray to catch droppings below. Get a parrot perch that you can position in the hutch, since chickens need to roost. Line the bottom of the hutch with heavy paper and use shavings. Get a toddler's playpen with mesh sides, and put shavings in that, and a cat litterbox with play sand (you can buy it at Home Depot and Lowe's -- fine texture sand) for dust baths. Throw treats in and let them enjoy the space during the day. You can put it near a sunny window if you have one, so they can sunbathe.

You'll need a good vacuum cleaner and Dustbuster to keep the area tidy, but so what?

My 2 pennies' worth!

 

[GardenerGal]

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I sweep and clean up an entire 12'X20' poultry barn twice a day, every day, and it is not smelly at all. The animal control officer does an inspection every year and each time he comments that it's smell-free.

Chicken poop is only stinky if you leave it to pile up. That is just as true with bunnies, hamsters and any pet. Or even a human! Anyone have a husband or bf who "forgets" to flush the toilet when he pees? After a couple of days...

A couple of little silkies or OEG bantams are no smellier than keeping an indoor guinea pig, if you just change the bedding daily like a kitty litter box. Just roll up the papers and shavings and dump them in a Hefty trash bag and tie it off. It can go out on trash day.

 

[Bengalcats1]

I have a house chicken and she LOVES it outside, so unless yours can be out Daily I dont think I would do it, it just wouldnt be fair, their life is digging in the grass, catching bugs and eating whatever they can. To be a totally inside chicken with just an occasional outing to me wouldnt be right

 

[jjthink]

OP hasn't circled back since initial post.... the thoughtful comments provided thus far may have afforded the info needed.........
JJ

 

[GardenerGal]

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Parrots should be eating fruit in lush tropical rainforests, but they appear to have adapted to apartments and pirates' shoulders.

I do agree that if there's an opportunity to get the chickens out into the fresh air (maybe a mini-chicken tractor loaded into the car and taken to a park, away from dogs, etc.) it should be done at least several times a week.

 

[GardenerGal]

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It's a topic that has been raised before, so I'm sure it will be useful to other people who are contemplating "indoor chickens."

 

[rancher hicks]

I saw a set up where they took an old metal crib and converted it into a chicken coop for indoors in "maryjanes Farm " magazine. Easy enough for bantams I suppose. They're not bigger than some parrots.

 

[Patricia Jane]

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x2 Good luck