I keep my girls in a shed with a fenced in yard.They get to free range when Im outside or someone is with them..We lost one last year to a neighbors dog and I was only gone for a minute.I have only three hens now, they're pets and give me lots of eggs.One is an Australorp(best pet ever)The other Aussie was the one that got eaten, it was very sad. and two rather bossy Rhode Island Reds..The head hen is one of the RI's and she is serious business, even the cats dont mess with her.But she lets me pet her. When they were chicks we kept them in the attic but seriously if you think parrots are messy chickens are twice as messy...Huge poops too, the dogs love those poops(ewww!!)
BTW I dont recommend chickens in the house, very very dusty, they love to scratch in leaves and grass, have dust/dirt baths and of course those huge tarry poops arent funny either.Maybe a small bantam or quail but not a full size chicken.Plus I think noone should have just one chicken, they are nervous without a buddy. Ohh and they are pretty quiet except when laying eggs, then they just cackle and cackle, either it hurts or their happy about laying an egg(not figured that one out yet)