Cricket, the House Chicken: Sept 15, 2011

Meet Cricket, our temporary house chicken. She was hatched by a first-time mother who actually killed her other chicks after they hatched. So when I found Cricket at night, fresh out of her egg under her mother, I brought her in the house knowing that when her mother became aware of her, it wouldn't be good. She's been in the house ever since.

Eventually, she will move out to the chicken yard with the others, but until then she stays in my office. She has a box (which is about 18"x18") for a house and it's all she knows as her home. She doesn't have to be covered up at night, and stays perched on the edge of her box. I've added small sections of soft foam to portions of the box edge to give her a variety of surfaces to perch on.

Every morning, she greets me with cute little chirps and stretches. I keep small sections of newspaper on the bottom of her box so cleaning up after her several times a day is a breeze. She's very clean and tidy, and never makes much more noise than the little coos and chirps you hear in the video. She really is a very pleasant house guest!

She is part Mille Fleur (her mother is a MF), and part Americauna (her father).

Thanks for watching!

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• house chicken
• hen
• chicken
• mille fleur
• baby chicken
• rescued chicken
• farm
• life on the farm
• pet chicken
• chicken perching

[tachar]

She is very pretty. Really cute with her tufts of feathers on her legs :) Will she get to be alot bigger ? I always thought chickens were bigger but h=then again I am a city girl and haven't seen many chickens up close. Thanks for sharing your house guest.

[tacheekwa]

@tachar Thanks for the note! She is a bantam, which is a small chicken. She is a little less than half of her to-be adult size. Bantams are much smaller than your average chicken. Her eggs will be about the same width as a quarter, which is quite small compared to your average chicken egg. She's a cute little thing! :)

[KoKoKurczak]

Peeper.

[stampinivy]

I am over the moon in love with Cricket. I did not know that you could keep chickens indoors. I am actually searching for chickens as pets. I am so inspired.

[bernshwag]

She is one gorgeous chick! TFS!!! Hugs, Candi

[Rowdysrun]

And she never tries to leave the box? My husband will never let me keep the babies in the house because he says they will be all over the place and he doesn't fancy sleeping with chickens!!!! She is ca-ute!!

[DivaLatinaANNI]

She's too precious! She would be my pet! I'd keep her in the house! What a beautiful chicken. I love her little feet!

[mhpgardener]

That is really cool. Such a calm and well behaved bird. I wonder if she thinks that you are her mother?