How to keep chickens as indoor pets for kids
Chickens roaming the house, you say! Impossible!
But it is very possible. In fact, chickens make excellent indoor pets for your children. They take up little space, cost only “chicken feed” to maintain, and provide endless hours of entertainment for your children and friends. You can even choose a bantum or a small breed, about a quarter to half the size of a standard chicken, to save space.
There are some simple requirements to successfully keeping chickens as pets.
1.) Cleaning
Chickens obviously cannot be domesticated. Many affectionate chicken owners say that any mess the chicken makes is easily cleaned up and they don’t care. You can keep your home really pristine by putting your indoor chickens in diapers. This is not as strange as it sounds. Practical and attractive diapers for chickens are available on the Internet. Chickens get used to using them quickly. Search for “chicken diapers” and you will find suppliers. You can also keep your chicken confined to certain areas of the house where you don’t mind cleaning a bit. Children can be given this responsibility.
2.) Protection of other pets.
Your dog may want to chase your chickens, so you will need to train him to leave the birds alone. Do this by keeping your dog on a leash and berating him harshly every time he shows aggression towards chickens until you feel you can trust him to share the space peacefully. Cats generally leave adult chickens alone, but cannot be trusted when around chicks. On the other hand, chickens will bravely peck any aggressive pets on their sensitive noses and even join in if necessary. After a few painful pricks to the beak, even a large dog or cat will stay away.
3.) Safe shelter at night.
Never leave your chickens outside in the yard after dark. They must have a safe cooperative or stay in the house. Otherwise, predators like raccoons, foxes, weasels, skunks, cats, etc. he’ll be leaving with them soon. A roomy cage indoors will keep your chickens out of trouble when you are not around. A pet cage will help a chicken sleep at night.
4.) Keep only chickens.
Roosters, while very handsome, are loud, territorial, and will keep trying to mate with chickens. Roosters actually get up in the sun, and when they do, they crow at the top of their lungs to declare that they own their home. A rooster is not likely to be happy on the inside.
5.) Raise your chicken pet from a chick.
Your chick will be socialized from the start and will be easy to handle. It will follow your children and sit on your laps. It only takes a few weeks for the chick to grow into a full-size chicken, so time goes by quickly.
6.) Your kids can train their chickens as pets.
Chickens can be trained to do simple tricks, like coming when called or pecking at a certain target. All it takes is a little patience and lots of goodies. Children love to think of new tricks and teach their chickens to act. Only the kindness and rewards of food work, never anger or punishment.
So if you don’t want to have a dog or cat, but want a low-cost, easy-to-keep pet that interacts with your children, then domestic chickens might be a good fit for your family.
Copyright Maggie Kerr 2009