Seramas-housing indoors...tips? Ideas?

[TheFarmMama]

We have 5 beautiful Serama chicks (God help us-FOUR roos and 1 hen lol) that we'd like to keep upstairs in our living room with us. Originally they were going in our basement but it is unfinished, isolated, and a bit cold if you ask me. Hubby is all for it

but I have no idea what a good type of cage would be aside from something like a bunny hutch. Also, how sensitive are chickens to smells? Like will smoke from bacon grease hurt them or febreeze air spray? I know normal pet birds are highly sensitive to fumes and such so I'd assume chickens may be as well. Does anyone have any tips on keeping chickens indoors or have any advice on things I should be cautious about? Anything you can tell me would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance yall!

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

In a nursing home I saw something like this... .

It had two small chickens in the bottom and finches that used the top half. There was a keeper that cleaned
the cage every week.

 

[TheFarmMama]

Wow what a great set up. Thanks for sharing.

 

[The Chickens' Maid]

Quote:

I'd be careful about any fumes. I don't think the smoke would hurt them, as long as it isn't a lot and they are in another room.

 

[TheFarmMama]

Yeh see our problem is that our living room and dining/kitchen area open into each other with only a small partition wall to divide them. I'm seriously considering turning the guest room into "their" room lol It just gets entirely too cold in winter to keep them outdoors.

 

[rhodiegal]

You probably would want to keep them in a sepertate room until it is warm enough for them to live outside. You will find that they will make a incredible amount of dust that is not healthy to breathe in all the time. Keep them away from the kitchen where food/counters and dishware can get covered with the dust. We keep our chicks in a seperate room with french doors that can be closed off from the rest of the house. When they are old enough to go out, I have to scrub the entire room as it is covered in a thin layer of dander/chicken feed debris dust - it is kind of yuck!

 

[Akane]

My seramas are outside and we've hit -20F already this year. It got to -30F last year but I didn't have seramas. Your problem this time of year is adjusting them to the much colder temps of outside. Otherwise once they are 4-6months old they can handle any temp they are adjusted to.

 

[elmo]

Gee, even with only two small chickens, I would imagine that after a week that indoor cage would be nasty, nasty, nasty. I'd expect that daily cleaning would be essential to keep chickens indoors...I know that's what we do for our indoor parrots and doves. And if that's all glass, I doubt if the air quality in that enclosure would be healthy for the birds in there.

 

[Keri78]

Maybe a large ferret cage? bird cage? rabbit hutch? You could always class it up a little with wood trim or something??? Don't know? Still thinking....

I just googled large ferret cages and then large bird cages...WOW!!! Some of those bird cages are GORGEOUS!!! check this out when you have time:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/bird-supplies/bird-cages-aviaries/ps/c/5059/10346

Maybe you could look around on craigslist and find a nice large bird cage for a deal???

Ferrets and large birds are DIRTY to care for so these types of cages are designed for regular clean up. OOOOH...yeah...one really cool idea that I saw someone do one time with her large bird cage is take wedding tulle and she wrapped up the entire cage like a pretty package in tulle and this way you could still see the birds and they could see out but it kept in all of the mess that they tend to toss out of the cage. Anyway...this may not even be an issue for seramas but I just thought of it!

 

[Akane]

I had a trio of japanese bantams indoors all last winter. It really wasn't that much mess. Not the cage itself or the dust. I had a 3x6' cage with several 2' high levels. I wouldn't actually suggest it long term though. It was hand built for guinea pigs and modified for chickens. Something with a wire bottom would work much better for cleanup and keeping their feet clean. I don't see how it's any different keeping a chicken than a large parrot and I know a few people with 6 to a dozen pet parrots indoors with very nice clean (and loud) houses. Not all big parrots but easily equivalent to a few seramas.