Feathered Flatmates

When a pair of chicks came indoors before the first Covid lockdown, veterinary student Lizzay Slaney never imagined they'd lead to a household of house chickens. At 20, she and her family in south-east London now share their home with Silkies and mixed bantams.

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When Lizzay Slaney describes how her house hens began, it’s clear this was never merely a practical choice. “I raised my first chicks indoors; they came just before Covid started. I grew very attached to them,” recalls Lizzay. “They even slept in bed with me at night!” Those early days, with lockdown and little social contact, transformed two birds into much more than pets. “They became my friends, not just pets.”

What followed was a series of practical decisions shaped by circumstance. As her birds reached maturity the family planned to move them outside, until avian influenza restrictions intervened. “When it was time for them to go outside, avian influenza lockdown was introduced, so they stayed inside until full maturity.” By then, the birds regarded both inside and outside as home. Lizzay recalls with a laugh how determined they could be: they “would come to the door and knock with their beaks if they wanted to come in (if we didn’t let them in they’d jump up to the window to watch and see why they couldn’t come in).”

Their story captures what “house chickens” means for many keepers: a bond so strong that birds become integrated into daily domestic life. House chickens are exactly that, poultry kept predominantly or entirely indoors, sharing living spaces with people. Reasons vary: companionship, care requirements, urban predator pressures, or health needs.

In Lizzay’s case, it was a mix of attachment, safety and special care: “We also like to keep them inside for safety as we live in London where there are lots of predators. One of them is a cockerel and we keep him inside to try and limit the noise the neighbours hear, the other is elderly and blind, so she comes in for care and to make sure she’s warm healthy and fed.”

House chickens remain a minority practice and provoke a range of reactions.

CONCERN OVER HYGIENE