Although chickens are mostly outdoor pets, you can keep them as indoor pets as well! Outdoor chickens are kept in a coop and can be taken out during the day for their exercise. An indoor chicken may go outside at times but they have their own space in the house they can roam around in. While both chickens have many things in common, they can seem quite different, especially since they live in different settings. One is in the house, possibly sitting on a carpet while the other is in the yard, roaming around and digging up the yard to look for creepy crawlies. Whichever setting this chicken is in, their health is also what matters. When an indoor chicken is inside the house, they seem to be happier than an outdoor chicken since they are used to their environment. Same goes for an outdoor chicken. Now to switch their environment the indoor chicken is now outside and the outdoor chicken is now inside. Since they are on opposite environments, it's possible they won't feel satisfied. An outdoor chicken being inside may make them more sad, bored and lonely. And in some circumstances, an outdoor chicken who has a broody or other temperament that is the opposite of calm may act rowdy and jump on furniture, possibly making a mess with their dirty feet, feces and not to mention dust all over the carpet and couch. If you want to bring your outdoor chicken indoors, make sure they aren't dusty and make sure they defecate before heading inside. The indoor chicken may be confused on the environment around her and this may or may not happen but if the other chickens notice a chicken they don't recognize, they may pick on her so try and keep the chicken away from the flock.
Making your chicken comfortable in your house requires a game plan. You'll need to find a place in your house where she won't be bothered. A great example would be your kitchen. Place her on the carpet or you can buy a dog bed and place her there. Place newspapers on her rear end so it is easier to clean up her feces rather than her defecating on the rug. Sometimes, it's hard to clean up a chicken's feces. That was why you couldn't bring a chicken with diarrhea into the house. Of course, after the mess, you can throw out the newspaper. You can also use a flat plastic container so it is easier to wash off (although it is much better if you use newspaper because who really wants to clean chicken feces with their hands, even with gloves on?) Either option may or may not be sanitary but which option do you really think is better? Spending the most time cleaning up a mess by using newspaper or cleaning your chicken's mess and end up getting sick anyhow?
The next thing that is the most obvious is the food. Outdoor chickens mostly eat chicken feed and fruit and vegetable scraps. Indoor chickens may eat the same. The best thing to give your chicken to eat is oatmeal (since it packs fiber and doesn't affect the chicken's stomach). You can also give them lettuce and other vegetable scraps but don't give them too much. We all know what happens from there... You should also give them water, of course.
And there is still more!
Who can forget the entertainment? Give your chicken a TV so they can watch whatever's on it. Or, if you have a radio, that works really well. Just don't give them a ball. They'll get scared and run away. However to keep your chicken motivated, you need them to be comfortable in the room they are residing in. If it's hot outside, you don't want your chickens panting. So give them cold water and turn on the AC. If it's cold outside, wrap them in a blanket or a towel you no longer use and turn on the heater. Remember, no matter the breed of the chicken, every chicken will suffer from heatstroke or hypothermia if a certain temperature is too high or too low. There are quite a handful of people who raise chickens in Alaska and Alaska is well-known for the cold temperatures. If you live in Alaska, Maine or anywhere else cold you'll have to consider keeping your chickens inside. However, people from these states come up with creative ways to raise their chickens outside. If you don't have space for your chickens or have some other reason why you can't raise chickens inside your house during the winter, try building a coop with aluminum or stone. There are many articles on how to build a coop. Here's one:Wichita Cabin Coop More information will be listed on the Tips section.
Tips on raising chickens inside
Making your chicken comfortable in your house requires a game plan. You'll need to find a place in your house where she won't be bothered. A great example would be your kitchen. Place her on the carpet or you can buy a dog bed and place her there. Place newspapers on her rear end so it is easier to clean up her feces rather than her defecating on the rug. Sometimes, it's hard to clean up a chicken's feces. That was why you couldn't bring a chicken with diarrhea into the house. Of course, after the mess, you can throw out the newspaper. You can also use a flat plastic container so it is easier to wash off (although it is much better if you use newspaper because who really wants to clean chicken feces with their hands, even with gloves on?) Either option may or may not be sanitary but which option do you really think is better? Spending the most time cleaning up a mess by using newspaper or cleaning your chicken's mess and end up getting sick anyhow?
The next thing that is the most obvious is the food. Outdoor chickens mostly eat chicken feed and fruit and vegetable scraps. Indoor chickens may eat the same. The best thing to give your chicken to eat is oatmeal (since it packs fiber and doesn't affect the chicken's stomach). You can also give them lettuce and other vegetable scraps but don't give them too much. We all know what happens from there... You should also give them water, of course.
And there is still more!
Who can forget the entertainment? Give your chicken a TV so they can watch whatever's on it. Or, if you have a radio, that works really well. Just don't give them a ball. They'll get scared and run away. However to keep your chicken motivated, you need them to be comfortable in the room they are residing in. If it's hot outside, you don't want your chickens panting. So give them cold water and turn on the AC. If it's cold outside, wrap them in a blanket or a towel you no longer use and turn on the heater. Remember, no matter the breed of the chicken, every chicken will suffer from heatstroke or hypothermia if a certain temperature is too high or too low. There are quite a handful of people who raise chickens in Alaska and Alaska is well-known for the cold temperatures. If you live in Alaska, Maine or anywhere else cold you'll have to consider keeping your chickens inside. However, people from these states come up with creative ways to raise their chickens outside. If you don't have space for your chickens or have some other reason why you can't raise chickens inside your house during the winter, try building a coop with aluminum or stone. There are many articles on how to build a coop. Here's one:Wichita Cabin Coop More information will be listed on the Tips section.
Tips on raising chickens inside
- As referred to on the top, you may want to check your state or country's guidelines (although most countries will allow you to own chickens in certain cities) on raising chickens. In Pennsylvania, depending on the city and how much land area you own, we are allowed to keep a maximum of four chickens and no roosters.
- Don't bring a chicken that is sick or has diarrhea. If you want to separate your flock from your sick chicken, isolate your chicken in a corner or somewhere where it won't be bothered the sunroom works too but make sure the chicken isn't too hot. If it's winter, don't bring the chicken to the sunroom.
- Have your chicken in a spot where she'll be comfortable. Give her a dog bed and place it somewhere cool where the sun won't beat down on her. Give your chicken a wet towel (make sure you wring the towel out so that it's not completely drenched in water and place on top. You can give her a fan or turn on AC. If it's winter, give her a warm blanket and turn on the heater but not too high so that she overheats.
- Don't leave your chicken inside all day. Take her out to exercise for about 5 to 10 minutes. If you have equipment for your chicken, that will work too. It may be possible but don't leave your chicken outside for too long. She won't be an indoor chicken anymore.
- If you want your chicken to do her workouts in the house since it's too hot (or if it's the winter time and it's too cold), don't make her jump on the couch but if she wants the couch, place a towel you no longer use and let her sit on that.
- If your AC or heater isn't working or you don't have a fan/AC or heater (you really need to get one), give your chicken watermelon to cool down if she's panting. Give her water of course. If it's winter, give your chicken hot water.
