Health

Diapers for Silkie Chickens

By Chicken Fans Editorial Team

Silkies make great pets. They’re gentle and friendly and stay small, so it’s pretty easy to keep them temporarily inside the house to enjoy their social nature. But what happens when they poop? Can Silkie chickens wear diapers? And if so, what is a good Silkie chicken diaper?

Find our complete article on Silkie chickens here!

We’ll take you through what diapers are best for silkies and how you can make them yourself. But let’s address an important question first:

Why keep chickens inside the house?

It’s a logical question as chickens are animals mostly living outside and free-ranging in the backyard. But there are numeral reasons to keep your chickens temporarily inside the house.

Always keep in mind that chickens need their outside space, so this can only be a temporary solution! Don’t keep chickens as pets in a small apartment or studio without an outdoor area. They need at least one hour a day outside.

Bad weather conditions

Chickens are very cold hardy, they can stand a though winter, but when the weather gets dangerous; maybe you’ll have to think about providing them temporary accommodation. Storm, hurricanes, or heatwaves can all be reasons to keep the chickens inside the house or an attached part of the house like the garage or storage area.

Chickens are cold hardy but when the weather get extreme you better keep them inside

You can put them back inside the chicken run as the weather improves.

Predators

As spring arrives, so do predators. There are different ways to protect your flock from the day and nighttime predators, but it takes a handyman and a little effort to secure your chicken run and coop from predators.

Opossums are a very common chicken predator

When you lack the time or handyman skills, you can make the more straightforward decision to keep the chickens temporarily inside.

Quarantine

Sometimes it’s necessary to quarantine your chickens or chicken as they can bully each other, get sick, or need some extra attention and care due to various reasons.

Sometimes it’s necessary to quarantine your chickens or chicken as they can bully each other, get sick, or need some extra attention and care due to various reasons.

Some chickens can be real bullies, or worse, they can peck other chickens to death. Keep an eye on your chickens and their bully. If things are getting out of hand, separate the bully from the flock. Keep him (or her) apart for some time and introduce the bully back to the flock afterward. When you don’t have the outside space to separate the bully, keep the chicken inside the house or in an enclosed area.

When your chicken is sick, it can be a good idea to take her out of the chicken run for a while to recuperate. As soon as she feels better, introduce her back to the flock and keep a close eye on if she gets accepted by the other chickens.

Pet chicken

Sometimes you don’t need a serious reason to keep a chicken inside the house and want to keep it as a pet. Tiny chicken breeds such as Silkies or bantams are suited to keep inside the house as pets.

small chicken breeds can be kept as pet
Credits: @tinyfarm_homestead (IG)

Remember that chickens, even silkies, are outside animals, so they need outdoor space. You can keep them temporarily inside for cuddling and petting or learn them to do tricks. But in the end, they need outside space to run around and scratch their feet in the dirt or take a dust bath.

Things to think about before keeping chickens inside

Before you take the chickens inside, keep in mind there are some things to think about in advance.

  • Are you a homeowner? Not all rental houses allow pet chickens inside.
  • Do you have roommates or are you co-housing? Do your fellow residents agree with keeping chickens inside?
  • Can you provide the chickens with a separate room for themselves? They’ll need roosting bars, food, dust baths,…
  • Do they have access to outside space for at least one hour every day?
  • Do you have the time to clean up the inside space regularly?
  • Can you commit to the potty training or learn them to wear diapers?

Keeping silkies as pets

Small chicken breeds such as silkies make great pets. They’re cuddly and friendly, and they have pleasant personalities. Silkies are also quiet chickens so they won’t be bothering you or your neighbors.

silkies are good pets because of their size.

A significant issue with Silkies and an excellent reason to keep them inside the house is that they’re an easy target for predators. Because of their fluffy feathers, they have trouble seeing which means they can’t see predators approaching. Another disadvantage is they can’t fly, so it’s hardly impossible for them to escape from predators when under attack. Therefore it’s essential to keep Silkies inside a protected chicken run to keep them as safe as possible.

Why do silkie chickens have to wear diapers?

When running free-range or inside a chicken run, they don’t. But when keeping your silkie chickens inside, you’ll need eighter potty train them and provide a litter box (like you do for cats), or you put them in a chicken diaper.

Chickens poop a lot, mainly when they roost at night. So installing a dropping board under the roosting area is not a bad idea. That way, you only let them wear a diaper during the day when they run around inside the house. To prevent irritation, you have to take the chicken diaper off at least once or twice a day for an hour.

Where to buy Chicken Diapers?

You can purchase chicken diapers almost anywhere online. You’ll find them on Amazon or local online shops.

chicken diapers can be bought online

Depending on how big your flock is and how many chickens you want to keep inside the house, purchased chicken diapers can be expensive in the long run. As we said before, chickens poop a lot. So you’ll need a lot of diapers to keep your house clean, or you can put them in reusable diapers. If you can commit to cleaning reusable diapers, this can be a good solution.

Where to buy Silkie Chicken Diapers?

Silkies are much smaller than other chickens, so it can be tricky to look online for diapers. They’ll fit in a Bantam-sized diaper, but as said before, purchasing Silkie chicken diapers to keep your flock as pets can get expensive in the long run.

For small chicken breeds, such as Silkies, you can easily make the diapers yourself by only using an old sock and a pair of scissors!

DIY Silkie Chicken Diapers

What do you need to make your Silkie chicken diapers? Just a pair of old socks and a pair of scissors. It’s an effortless and popular way to make a chicken diaper for small breeds as there’s no sewing involved.

How a silkie chicken diaper is made

Step 1: Find yourself an old sock and a pair of scissors. For Silkies, children’s socks, age 8-10 will do, or small adult socks, size 4 to 5.

Step 2: Make a small cut (not more than 1/3) right under the ribbed part of the sock. Do the same thing at the other side. This is the part that will go around the chicken’s neck.

How a silkie chicken diaper is made
How a silkie chicken diaper is made

Step 3: Make a cut that goes down from the first cut to the part that holds the toes.

Step 4: Do the same thing on the other side. The part where the toes go will be the actual diaper, the poop holder.

How a silkie chicken diaper is made
How a silkie chicken diaper is made

Step 5: Make a small cut in the middle of the poop holder. This is where the tail goes.

Step 6: All done! Now you can try it on!

How a silkie chicken diaper is made
share
Chicken Fans Editorial Team

The editorial team consists of 3rd generation chicken owners Kat, journalist, editor-in-chief, and Nick, working with illustrators and specialists in the field.

Related Articles

a chicken is lethargic and laying on the ground
Lethargic Chickens: 14 Reasons Why Your Chicken Seems Depressed
19 September, 2023
Salmonella in chickens
Salmonella In Chickens: Risks And Transmission To Humans
19 September, 2023
a chickens comb affected by frostbite
Frostbite In Chickens: Causes, Prevention, Treatment
19 September, 2023
a chicken's wing getting clipped
Clipping A Chicken's Wing Feathers: When And How?
11 September, 2023
vitamin D for chickens
Vitamin D for Chickens: Dose, Benefits & Risks
10 September, 2023

You might like

a chicken sitting inside the omlet eglu cube
Is The Omlet Eglu Cube Worth The Money? Chicken Coop Review (2023)
15 January, 2023
Best Automatic Chicken Coop Doors: Omlet, Run Chicken T50, Vevor, ChickenGuard
5 Best Automatic Chicken Coop Doors – Real-Life Testing (2023)
25 January, 2023
Installation of the run chicken coop door
Run Chicken Automatic Coop Door Review (2023)
24 December, 2022
a hen in a coop with the omlet auto door
Omlet Automatic Coop Door: Review (2023)
14 January, 2023
the omlet cube
Best Portable & Movable Chicken Coops (+Free Tractor DIY Plan)
1 February, 2023
purple chicken egg
Purple Chicken Eggs
20 September, 2022
Can chickens eat chocolate
Can Chickens Eat Chocolate?
17 February, 2022
blue and brown colored chicken eggs
Egg Color Genetics
28 June, 2022
chicken egg with green yolk
Why do Hard-Boiled Egg Yolks Turn Green?
21 July, 2022
chicken with two eggs in one day
Can Chickens Lay 2 Eggs a Day? (Explained)
23 April, 2022
lavender orpington rooster
20 Amazing Giant Chicken Breeds
26 September, 2022
blood in chicken poop on shavings
Blood in Chicken Poop
17 April, 2022
Chicken Breeding and Genetics
17 June, 2022
chicken drinking beer
Can Chickens Drink Beer?
4 May, 2022

Latest Articles

the ChickenGuard All-in-One chicken coop door
ChickenGuard All-In-One Chicken Coop Door: Review (2023)
1 March, 2022
a chicken is lethargic and laying on the ground
Lethargic Chickens: 14 Reasons Why Your Chicken Seems Depressed
1 March, 2022
Salmonella in chickens
Salmonella In Chickens: Risks And Transmission To Humans
1 March, 2022
a chickens comb affected by frostbite
Frostbite In Chickens: Causes, Prevention, Treatment
1 March, 2022
chicks inside the rentacoop brooder
What Is A Chick Brooder? (Set-Up And Must Haves)
1 March, 2022