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dan_grow

indoor chickens?

dan_grow
14 years ago

I'm kinda new to having chickens and would like to know if have a chicken coop indoors is a good idea. the coop will be 20ft long, 9ft wide, and 9ft tall (also it will house 1rooster and 3-5 hens).

the reason i want it inside is that theres allot of crime in my neighborhood and the chickens could be harmed or stolen.

Comments (3)

  • marlingardener
    14 years ago

    Your coop is more than adequate for six chickens. If you can have a smaller area outside for them to enjoy when you are at home and can keep an eye on them, it would benefit your birds. They like sunlight and fresh air.
    If there is a lot of crime in your neighborhood, perhaps you and your law-abiding neighbors could form a coalition and call the police, keep an eye out for criminal behavior, and clean up your neighborhood.

  • gardengalrn
    14 years ago

    Dan, I'm not sure what kind of a set-up you are thinking about. Do you mean to put the coop in some kind of large barn or out-building? I think with the proper set-up that may work but would not consider housing chickens in the same area/building in which I lived. Chickens come with the fact that there will be manure and odors, even when kept pristine, I would think. There would also be some health issues for yourself and family. Surely you meant a barn? As for the crime issue, you know your area better than I do but even out here in the country, my chickens are probably the last thing people would mess with. I have several friends who are either disgusted by them (generally they grew up tending large flocks for their parents) or are even a tad scared of them for some reason. Either way, they are content to watch them from afar and get eggs without actually dealing with them, LOL! Lori

  • citytransplant(zone5)
    14 years ago

    Dan,

    It sounds to me like you want to have the chickens in your basement. I do know of people in the city that did that for the same reasons you said. And yes, Dan is right, there are people out their who will do damage, if even the only reason is, because they can. A neighbor watch or coaltion is really, really hard when you are outnumbered. The threat could be very real to someone who tries to make changes.

    That being said, Dan:

    1st, you probably do not want a rooster, the crowing would echo and they do that all day and part of the night. Hens will lay eggs fine without a man around. Unless of course you want to breed the chickens.

    Trust me and everyone else, they will smell...strong. Chickens are very messy... very, very messy. They poop on anything, and in anything, even their food and water. They poop A LOT! All the time. Did I say it smells?

    I would not want them in my basement or on a porch not even in a room attached to the house. But like I said, I do know of people that did just that and kept roosters too. And some of them have kept henhouses that were extremely clean. People have been known to clean up everyday and the odors were very minimal. So it depends on how much effort you want to put into your ladies.

    Try it Dan, if it is too much for you to handle, keep them until they are large enough to cull for a few dinners.

    Good luck,
    Joan

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