Australian lady sells nappies for chickens

Australia's backyard chickens have moved out of the coop and into the house. The backyard scratcher is now a pampered pet and to help with the transition, a Brisbane-based chicken entrepreneur has developed the latest must-have accessory for people who love their chickens. It's called the chicken nappy, a design perfect for the animal that can never really be house-trained but likes to come inside anyway.

The nappy, based on a US design, is manufactured by a seamstress who also makes small walking leads and harnesses for chickens who like to take it that one step further, and cross the road. Ingrid Dimock's backyard breeding operation – City Chicks – has grown from a small part-time practice into a thriving full-time business.



The nappies she sells are bought by families who encourage their birds inside to interact or for people in apartments or townhouses who keep birds but have limited space. "Chickens have become incredibly interactive with people," Ms Dimock said. "When you come home they are looking for you and run up to you. They make really good pets and are really social creatures."

The leads were developed because Ms Dimock said people wanted to take their birds with them when they left the house. "People were telling us that they wanted to take their chickens to the park to have a scratch around while they watched their kids playing soccer," she said. City Chooks also sells bling for birds, with funky wristbands used to identify birds who stray from the roost. And for the hen who likes to stay in the coop, Ms Dimock also sells chicken chandeliers.