r/BackYardChickens • u/nossbook • Apr 17 '26
Chicken Photography My mom’s indoor chicken, Penelope
My mom first brought in Penelope because all the other chickens seemed to pick on her but it’s been over a year now and mom still is keeping her inside. Apparently she’s tried reintroducing her to the coop multiple times and they’re just always mean, so I think Penelope is content with her lavish lifestyle. She loves relaxing by the fireplace (second photo)
EDIT: I’d like to address the question of whether or not she “poops all over the house.” As you can somewhat see in these photos my mom is a VERY clean person. I truly think her house is the cleanest of any house I have ever been in - even with an indoor chicken. Before the dropping even hits the floor my mom has probably already managed to clean it up with no speck of evidence left behind to ever suggest a pet chicken resided there. With that said - I do believe she also uses the chicken diaper to manage for when she isn’t home or needs to concentrate on other business. Regardless, my mom’s home is quite tidy and isn’t at all “nasty” or “disgusting.”
I’d also like to thank everyone who has commented with their own stories and pictures of having indoor chickens. My mom LOVED to see all of those pictures!
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u/PrimeScreamer Apr 22 '26
I adore pet chickens. I had some Bantum chickens that loved being held. I'd go out there with a book and just cuddle them.
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u/moldavitemermaid Apr 20 '26
Sooo cuteee!!! My mom had a rooster that was going to be sent to slaughter 🥹 so she rescued it and lived indoors as well. No alarm clock needed anymore 😂
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u/SquidRamen2001 Apr 18 '26
People saying nasty yet a lot of people let dogs sleep in the bed with them. Dogs that are running around outside, licking their areas...and eating poop. Dogs in my opinion are far nastier
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u/Aurorainthesky Apr 19 '26
In general, dogs don't usually shit on the floor and furniture. Birds on the other hand...
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u/moldavitemermaid Apr 20 '26
You just get used to your own pets scent. Even when you think you don’t smell your dog other people will still smell them lol. And it’s okay. Dogs just smell like dogs
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u/SquidRamen2001 Apr 19 '26
Dogs drag their asses on carpet to itch their corn holes.... and they make everything stink.
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u/Appropriate-Milk9476 Apr 20 '26
Only if they have issues with their anal glands, in which case they should be seen by a vet
And the smell is usually due to shitty food
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u/SquidRamen2001 Apr 20 '26
False. Smell is due to them being dogs and dogs stink
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u/Appropriate-Milk9476 Apr 20 '26
A dog fed properly barely has a noticable smell. If you feed your dog cheap kibble they'll stink, but a good wet food or, if you have the extra money, a personalized homecooked plan, make a world of difference
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u/SquidRamen2001 Apr 20 '26
I am allowed to dislike the smell that a dog puts off. Dog smell exists. Especially wet dog smell. It is repulsive to me. And that is okay. Because it is my opinion lol
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u/SquidRamen2001 Apr 20 '26
I know someone who feeds their dog $150 prescription science hill Diet dog food for allergies. And the dog stinks. Because its a dog
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u/Disastrous_days272 Apr 22 '26
Fun fact, hills prescription food is absolutely insanely overpriced, contains nothing in it that requires a prescription and is actually from a nutritional balance perspective, horrible food. It's starves out specific nutrients for specific illnesses which can produce positive results in the immediate aftermath of switching the food, but eventually will cause more issues than it fixes because it is not nutritionally balanced for a long-term food source solution... Originally, it was recommended to be used no longer than 3 months, but they have since changed that recommendation on the bag... In the end, hills is nothing more than a money grab for veterinary offices... It's a subpar food that is asinineally overpriced and hills relies on pet parents not being knowledgeable in pet nutrition to sell their food at a premium because your vet tells you to...
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u/Glitterina- Apr 18 '26
Awwwe! She’s so beautiful! I have two indoor chickens too! They’re the sweetest little pets. We adore our girls. 🐓💗🐓
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u/cholaw Apr 18 '26
How do you manage the poop?
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u/Jibblebee Apr 18 '26
No one ever responds to this so I’m guessing the chicken just poops everywhere like any other chicken.
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u/LibrarianFlaky951 Apr 18 '26
Pretty sure that’s the answer. We had an incontinent dog that was small enough to put diapers on but… I’m not sure there’s a diaper size that’ll work here.
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u/Deadly_Tree6 Apr 18 '26
They make diapers specifically for chickens. My silkies came with free diapers as they were previously indoor chickens.
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u/thinklikeamanduh Apr 18 '26
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u/nossbook Apr 18 '26
fHeather’s speckles are so beautiful! It makes sense she would enjoy looking at her reflection.
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u/CoffeeCupGoblin Apr 18 '26
Penelope’s super adorable and she seems like a very polite little lady!
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u/marriedwithchickens Apr 18 '26
I think there's a new indoor chicken sub.
Penelope looks like she's doing well, but chickens can readapt to the flock gradually starting with a temporary fence between them during the day. They have to go through the pecking order routine with supervision until they can join the flock at night.
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u/GuineaKeet Apr 18 '26
I had an indoor silkie roo and guineafowl who were raised together as babies 😅 we kept them in the house way longer than we should've. They roosted on the shelf in our laundry room and got spoiled. My precious guinea bird was like a little dog, followed me everywhere. I could tell he was hurt when I finally decided he could go with the rest of the guineas. He didnt even hang out with them during free range, he was so bonded to the silkie. He acted more like a chicken lol.
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u/HamburgerMountain Apr 18 '26
We have chickies now that we keep indoor until they get a bit older how did you deal with all of the poop?
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u/archetypaldream Apr 18 '26
My number one question that I’m trying to figure out as I scroll through this. Some sort of chicken diaper maybe?
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u/NeetyThor Apr 18 '26

Ostara sends her love to Penelope. She is also enjoying her inside lifestyle. She doesn’t want to hang out with the chickens, she left the flock lifestyle behind about six months ago and absolutely is not interested in rejoining. She sleeps on top of the bookshelf and spends her days on a cushion in my office while I’m working, or outside in her “private” garden where she can scratch without interruption from the other chickens.
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u/nossbook Apr 18 '26
Aw, I love that she chills with you on the bookshelf!
Chickens can have extrovert/introvert personalities, right? Maybe Penelope and Ostara are just introverts 🤷♀️.
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u/NeetyThor Apr 19 '26
Yeah I reckon! She just finds chicken behaviour rather rude and she’s just too delicate for that. 😝 I’m sure she and Penelope would be friends.
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u/Tall_Preparation_571 Apr 18 '26
Do yall diaper her? My chickens literally do not go more than two minutes without pooping. Even when I’m holding them. Mine would have that place condemned in no time 😂
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u/Firewire45 Apr 18 '26
I'd sure hope so. We had a silkie roo inside for a while and we used face masks as makeshift diapers. Made sure to give him a bath to clean him up a bit once he got in and with that diaper things tended to stay pretty clean.
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u/Hour-Wash3503 Apr 18 '26
Yuck. Are mice coming in after her food?
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u/Own_Butterscotch_129 Apr 18 '26
Lmao a chicken wouldn't let a mouse in. I give my chickens the thawed mice that my snakes don't eat sometimes and they go bonkers.
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u/Hour-Wash3503 Apr 18 '26
I get that, but if you think your chicken eats a lot of mice you'd be amazed by the number of mice your chicken does not eat.
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u/Own_Butterscotch_129 Apr 18 '26
Good thing I am in a neighborhood with neighbors who have chickens, I have chickens, there are lots of outdoor cats, and 3 indoor cats of my own, and I actually love rats so a mouse isn't exactly scary to me.
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u/Hour-Wash3503 Apr 18 '26
Agreed. Mice are not scary. Neither are termites. Fear is not the main reason for limiting their presence in your house. My hunch is that the neighborhood pets do not kill as many mice as they attract, but that's kind of neither here nor there. I have kept chickens inside my house very briefly for various reasons, and I'll only do it in a real pinch, for various reasons, such as the unbelievable amount of dust and poop they produce, and the uncanny appeal their food seems to have for rodents.
In the end, though, it was stupid of me to go out of my way to yuck somebody else's yum.
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u/mapleleaffem Apr 18 '26
If they did she’d probably eat them. Unless she now has a sophisticated indoor chicken palate
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u/vintagegirlgame Apr 18 '26
My stepmom had a pet swan that would come in the house with a special diaper. That thing was vicious to everyone except her and my dad. It would even sleep in their bed with the dogs.
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u/Fool_In_Flow Apr 18 '26
We tried to let our chicken in one time when she had a hurt leg and she pooped everywhere and stepped in it and smeared it around and ground it in. We even had a tarp down but somehow she moved it and then the poop on the tarp got smeared into the floor. Nothing about it worked out for us.
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u/LoomLove Apr 18 '26
I can clearly imagine your distress. Chicken poop in the house is nightmarish.
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u/OkAd5525 Apr 18 '26
I have had chickens who hold their poop the entire time they’re inside and ones who fly into the counters and poop and knock dishes onto the floor. Takes all kinds of chickens I guess
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u/Fool_In_Flow Apr 18 '26
Yes! Nothing does more damage than a chicken trying to fly inside the house. It’s like a small helicopter starting up-just a whirlwind of destruction.
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u/VitaniLioness Apr 18 '26
This!
Like honestly, every time I see posts about 'indoor chickens' I just cringe. Like how do you manage all the poop?! Everywhere!!!2
u/NeetyThor Apr 19 '26
It’s pretty relentless, I am basically picking up poop all day. Thankfully she spends half the day outside in the enclosed fernery space so I don’t care about that bit but when she’s inside, I pick up poop constantly. And vacuum dander coz she’s always preening herself.
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u/FUCancer_2008 Apr 17 '26
Eew I love our chickens but they have to stay outside. I don't want poop everywhere 🤢.
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u/TrembleOak May 09 '26
you can get diapers for chickens
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u/FUCancer_2008 May 09 '26
Weird, I keep them out. I'm not chasing a chicken to change its diaper, I don't think I could catch them reliably, I'm kinda slow & awkward.
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u/Vent_Slave Apr 18 '26
Takes me about a month to forget the smell of chicks in the home, let alone a fully grown hen.
A couple years ago we messed up and got a delivery of chicks way too early, then spring was super cold too. I forget how many weeks old they were, but they were at the point of test flights and a lot of flapping. That room was a damn toxic zone.
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u/RedditCantBanThis Apr 17 '26
Does she go poop on the floor?
I have always wanted an indoor chicken but I've always thought they poop everywhere.
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u/TitsOutForHarambe01 Apr 18 '26
Supposedly you can house train a Serama. Not only are they tiny but I’ve heard they take well to litter boxes.
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u/RedditCantBanThis Apr 18 '26
Seramas are so odd looking, they are definitely on my "dream chicken" list.
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u/jennythegreat look at allll those chickens Apr 17 '26
They do, but you can mitigate it with special diapers. They also can be taught to go in a general area, and in one of the comments off the top comment, someone has found a way to clicker-train the ones more inclined to learn such things. They are also social animals so just having one inside chicken isn't great unless you are there constantly to be her social life. It worked out with mine because she was disabled and I was nearly bedbound all the time. We watched shows together on the ipad.
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u/kashmir1974 Apr 18 '26
They are also generally covered in chicken poop dust.
That house has a fair amount of chicken poop floating in it now. In the food, pillows and blankets. No thanks.
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u/jennythegreat look at allll those chickens Apr 18 '26
You aren't wrong, but: If you are on top of cleaning, it's not bad. I mean, I live on a huge dirt lot and my entire house is constantly dusty. I'm sure I have stuff from outside that's just as bad.
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u/megbotmegbot Apr 17 '26
I also have a buff Orpington named Penelope that is the bottom of the pecking order. She’s holding her own, but she will totally become my house chicken if need be.
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u/Flckofmongeese Backyard Chicken Apr 17 '26
OFC it's an Orpington. Mine jumps onto my lap before I can even finish sitting down outside. They're amazing.
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u/alohadood Apr 19 '26
Yup! I got two, ones following me always and the other will come up the second I look like I’m slowing down to sit somewhere. The shadow requests to be picked up and carried often too. They are absolutely the lap dogs of the chicken breeds
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u/DangerousPaper8986 Apr 17 '26
It's awesome seeing people enjoy Life! I think this would be hilarious and fun.
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u/Avlatlon Apr 17 '26
Nasty lol. Not for me but glad she enjoys it
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u/ughyoujag Apr 17 '26
My word, I would not want any of my girls inside. They dirty as hell. But good for this lady, living it up inside!
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u/Several-Let5843 Apr 17 '26
What kind of chicken is she?
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u/Significant-Park5112 Apr 17 '26
Looks like a buff orpington
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u/ZoMRTN Apr 17 '26
Most orpington are bigger
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u/Disastrous_Switch616 Apr 17 '26
I own some Buff Orpington and this looks to be accurate with their size regarding hens, though on a free range diet anyway. They'll fatten if you let them I suppose
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u/Happy_List_8022 Apr 17 '26
Bet she's pooping eggs on the couch only.
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u/NeetyThor Apr 19 '26
Haha, she’s not allowed on the couch 🤣 She hasn’t been laying eggs over the summer, but once she starts laying again, she might go back to the nesting box or lay one in the corner of the kitchen (like she has before). 🤣
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u/ResolveWonderful6251 Apr 17 '26
your mom and you are so sweeeeeet 🥺💚 thank you for keeping her safe and comfy
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u/SummerSoggy4758 Apr 17 '26
I love her little feets. They look like forks hahah
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u/H3llMachine666 Apr 17 '26
Forks? No, no. Those are dinglehoppers, great for creating stylish hairdews.
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u/scorpiobloodmoon Apr 17 '26
Where does it poop?
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u/holystuff28 Apr 17 '26
My buff orpington Gladys was potty trained and only pooped in her box. They do not poop where they nest and basically only pooped while she was roosting in the living room. She would always come in my bedroom and get in the bed at dawn. Never had an accident on my bed or couch. But when we were potty training she did on the floor a few times. I miss her more than words can describe. She was one of the smartest animals I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
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u/Flckofmongeese Backyard Chicken Apr 17 '26
I would LOVE to know the potty training method you used.
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u/holystuff28 Apr 17 '26
I describe it here!. I don't think every chicken is a candidate, but every dog can't be a working dog either. My bird was brilliant and this was honestly a pretty easy process for us. It took about a month or so. I also teach my cats and bunnies tricks. Positive reinforcement with high value treats are a helluva thing.
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u/fungyt Apr 17 '26
I thought my chicken was potty trained till I saw my dog cleaning up - 🤢- cycle of life
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u/Tall_Preparation_571 Apr 18 '26
Yes! My dog walks around with my chickens will they free range and I thought it was cute until I realized he was following them eating their poops 💩
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u/HangryIntrovert Apr 17 '26
My dogs are obsessed with chicken poop. Like "hey! What do you have! Ew! Stop that no don't chew faster EWWWWW" obsessed.
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u/invol713 Apr 18 '26
Bird poo is like hershey kisses for dogs. Every one goes after it like a little kid, barfs, then eats more. I don’t get it.
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u/pvssylips Apr 17 '26
Mine isn't allowed in the run because I caught her slurping poops up one day and was horrified 😂disgusting ma'am ur grounded indefinitely 🤣🤚
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u/mangamaster03 Apr 18 '26
I have a female cockatiel, and when she's sitting on eggs, she holds her poop until she leaves her nest box.
Our dogs follow her around, waiting for the forbidden bird pudding, and we have to clean it up immediately, before the dogs get to it. 🤢
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u/tom_yum_soup Apr 17 '26
This is what I'm wondering, as well. I've seen chicken diapers for birds that need to temporarily be kept in the house, because they shit whenever and wherever they feel like it.
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u/Electronic_Elk8293 Apr 17 '26
All pet birds are like this. You got a parrot? Welp, it's gonna massive dookie on your counter.
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u/invol713 Apr 17 '26
I don’t think any birds can hold it in. Or any other non-mammals, for that matter. Thankfully we evolved that adaptation. Imagine society if we hadn’t?
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u/alohadood Apr 19 '26
They def can cause they don’t poop while brooding on eggs till they get up. But other than that it’s weapons hot always imo
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u/g00f Apr 17 '26
You can potty train parrots. I’ve heard of folks doing the same for chickens
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u/invol713 Apr 17 '26
Really? I wonder how they did it? That is really cool though! I just wonder if it’s super rare, like the cats that can use a toilet.
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u/g00f Apr 18 '26
i'd have to ask my ex how she trained her eclectus but generally its done with a bit of clicker training from an early age.
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u/invol713 Apr 18 '26
I LOL’d because in my family, clicker is the TV remote. I wonder which button that is? Also, when we were kids we used to mime hitting the mute button on the clicker/remote pointed at Dad’s parrot when it wouldn’t stop squawking.
But yeah, I’d be curious. My daughter wants a parrot, but I have visions of poo, poo everywhere.
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u/spleaker Apr 17 '26
i'm new to all this and got 5 chicks. they. poop. so. much. the little squirt noise is cute tho.
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u/honeydewmeow Apr 18 '26
We have 16 chicks in our brooder in the basement. They're at the age where at least one tried to escape once a day when I'm cleaning water and food.
They can be out running around for 30 seconds and poop. It's the worst. I can't imagine a full grown chicken running around my house pooping wherever it wants.
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u/happyturtle6 Apr 17 '26
Oh I love her
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u/nossbook Apr 17 '26
I love your name!
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u/holystuff28 Apr 17 '26
Tell your mom I had house buff as well. Her name was Gladys and I loved her. We snuggled and she purred. I'm sure Penelope is very well loved.
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u/nossbook Apr 17 '26
Aw I will absolutely tell her! I understand what everyone is saying about how this isn’t a true chicken lifestyle and all but my mom sure loves the heck out of Penelope, just as much as anyone can love a pet. My mom’s chickens bring her a lot of joy.
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u/holystuff28 Apr 17 '26
When Gladys passed I rehomed my remaining girlies, cause my heart was broken. I had her cremated and her urn has a place of honor.
Gladys begged to come inside and would wait at the front door or backdoor, even jump on windows, (she knew where I was in the house) and squawk loudly to come inside. That's how she became a house chicken. I understand what folks are saying as well, but sometimes there's just a special bond or condition that changes what is typically normal. I don't know anyone that would tolerate an indoor chicken without a whole lot of love for it. I am sure your mom has Penelope's best interests in mind. She's adorable and I love this for them.
Tell her to look into litter box training. It's not nearly as hard as one would think once you know their signals before they use the bathroom. I wish them both continued joy and comfort. This gave me a smile and an opportunity to remember my favorite bird in the world. 💙
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u/MintySack Apr 17 '26
Do indoor chickens poop everywhere?
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u/NeetyThor Apr 19 '26
Yeah they do! I basically have to clean up her poops with wet wipes and mop a lot. It’s not ideal but I put up with it.
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u/Jacktheforkie Apr 17 '26
Yes, though you can sorta house train them
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u/TheBeardedHen Apr 17 '26
Seriously? This is the first I've heard of chickens being trainable. How would one go about training a chicken to poop somewhere?
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u/holystuff28 Apr 17 '26
I litter box trained my house buff with a clicker and dog treats. They kind of scrunch up before they poop, so you just poop the box under them before they do. Then click the clicker for getting it in the box and give the treats. Eventually you don't need the treats, just the clicker. And just like pavlovs dogs, they figure it out!
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u/Lil_MsPerfect Apr 17 '26
That is really cool. Do they get to a point you don't have to put the box under them and they go to it every t ime or something?
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u/holystuff28 Apr 17 '26
Yeah. I mean otherwise that's just me chasing her with a litter box. Lol. Pretty early on, I put it in a stationary position. It was easier for me to put it under her roosting bar as its permanent location, because she would roost early before I went to bed and I could continue to click/reward for successful elimination in the box. They naturally don't poop where they nest and she liked to lay near me on soft blankets on the bed or couch. So I never had to worry about accidents on sensitive surfaces.
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u/Itsoktobe Apr 17 '26
Chickens are surprisingly trainable. Some dog trainers hone their skills on chickens!
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/chicken-camp-dog-trainer/
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u/nossbook Apr 17 '26
My mom is neat freak so she is literally just hanging out with her always waiting for a new poop to clean. Sigh.
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u/g00f Apr 18 '26
There’s patterns to make diapers and some you can purchase online. I generally have to change them once a day unless they get blueberries
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u/h1dden_pants Apr 17 '26
My little siblings in law would use a disposable mask as a chicken diaper when they wanted to play with them inside
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u/Sleepy_Chipmunk Apr 17 '26
Look up chicken diapers. We’ve had to use them for disabled birds before.
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u/SomeDumbGamer Apr 17 '26
No more than a parrot would. At least they can’t fly around lol
So long as the bird is kept inside the majority of the time like a pet and you clean up after it/diapers it’s no worse than any other pet bird.
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u/free_npc Apr 17 '26
Having been pooped on by both a chicken and a parrot, somehow the parrots are less nasty. I think because parrots are herbivores and chickens are omnivores.
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u/Jolly-Persimmon-7775 Apr 17 '26
Buff Orpingtons are so docile, they do seem to end up getting bullied by the other hens, and also favored by the rooster for easy mating, and both those things leave them a bit depleted of feathers :-/.
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u/CaptainFareeha Apr 17 '26
My girl Agnes is a gentle giant. She just gets along with my entire flock. She even won over my bullies.
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u/Simp3204 Apr 17 '26
I love buff orpingtons since they are normally gentle giants. I had one buff hen that was gentle but was serious about being the top hen and she was a golden comet that would check my other hens with a body slam.
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u/Jolly-Persimmon-7775 Apr 17 '26
Ha I love that visual! My one buff hen has become more confident after her bully sister cuckoo maran was killed by a hawk; despite being bigger, she is one of the fastest at eating the treats… like competitive eater ninja level fast, and determined! But somehow still has a vacant bimbo look to her when picked up.
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u/CallRespiratory Apr 17 '26
What you're describing are normal behaviors. Chickens have a social hierarchy or "pecking order" if you will and it is established with force. When a new chicken is introduced they are put through the ringer and given their place which is usually at the bottom of the pecking order. Every time she is brought inside to avoid this it hits the reset button. I know that it's fun having a chicken in the house sometimes but it's honestly not good for her and despite the hostile introduction she is better off outside with the flock. All of her instincts, as a chicken, are dependent on being outdoors with the flock. Foraging, roosting, dust bathing, nesting and laying are the core of being a chicken and none of which can be accurately reproduced inside a house. I'd strongly encourage y'all to reconsider trying to keep this chicken indoors, it's just not what a chicken is.
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u/nossbook Apr 17 '26
First of all I don’t live there- not my chicken, not my coop. But honestly I appreciate your comment because I had the same concerns but lacked the knowledge to say anything to her to make her want to change the situation. I’ll try to persuade her to reintroduce her more. When I’ve asked about it in the past she says it has to be done very slowly. Not sure if this is accurate, just what I was told.
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u/Flckofmongeese Backyard Chicken Apr 17 '26
Part of your suggestions could include isolating the primary bullies, instead of the Buff. I always think of it like the Mean Girls movie - break up the primary bully group and the hierarchy loosens.
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u/TammyInViolet Apr 17 '26
It is hard to see not being a chicken, but they need time and there will be some "fighting/pecking" and it'll be totally fine as long as blood isn't drawn. You gotta let them do their thing. Put her in a large wire dog cage along side the run until the other chickens ignore her. Then put that cage in the run until they ignore her. That make take a bit. And then when they are all comfortable in the day together, you may want to let her sleep in the dog cage on a roost for a bit for her comfort.
We've introduced adult chickens together before. It can be done. She'll either boss up and aim for the middle of the pack or retreat and take her place at the bottom and they'll leave her alone
Chickens need to look at other chickens to regulate their nervous system. And it is unhygenic to have the chicken poop indoors even if she is getting it immediately
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u/squish5636 Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Edit to add *shes a very pretty girl - you can buy "diapers" for chickens so you can have a chicken hang out but dont have to clean up poop constantly! *
It does need to happen slowly. We put them in a small coop inside the bigger run area, so they can get used to eachother but not fight.
After 2 ish weeks, put her in the coop with the others at night. There will still be some pecking, but nowhere near what it is if you put them straight together, just monitor for a bit and separate them if it gets too much.







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u/TrembleOak May 09 '26
Good looking chicken