Anybody have any ideas for chicken entertainment?

[Sylvester017]

I got these from fleet farm, looks like you can also get them on amazon. They are a treat dispenser which you can dial the size of the opening, kind of like the yellow chicken treat balls, only these won't allow the chicken to crack them in half, so they have to move the ball around and not cheat. Plus they can see what is in there through the semi transparent plastic. They work great! Here is a link to the amazon one, more photos at the bottom of the link, then a couple photos of the one of the ones I got:
http://www.amazon.com/Petsafe-SlimCat-Meal-Dispensing-Blue/dp/B0018CG40O

Penned up birds need a lot of entertainment - swings, chairs, perches, treat balls, dust-bath tub, etc. I saw one owner use a clear water bottle to make her own treats bottle for her 2 pet chickens. They saw the seed inside the clear plastic and kept pecking at it until the seed spilled out of the small hole on the side. They can peck at the soft plastic sides and the bottle rolls around to distribute the seeds a little at a time.

 

[N2nicole]

My chickens are scared of balls!

 

[Lynn Manes]

I'm building a large run right now and I'm going to build a couple different ladders and jungle gyms for them. I have a plastic mirror hanging in their coop they like to look in. You can string apples and treats for them to peck in. Also you can put a pile of wet leaves in the outdoor run and they will dig in that for bugs. They love shiny objects so you can hang those for them to peck. Just make sure they cant get small objects to choke on. Haha. You can put different seeds in a shallow tray of water for them to find. Dust boxes keep them busy as well. You can also build a "chicken swing" for them. Just a bunch of different ideas. Go crazy and let your imagination run.

Where can I see a pic of a chicken swing? I have room to possibly put one in the coop.

 

[mowgli457]

i honestly think swings are a huge waste of time and money , i have 4 differant friends who bought or made swings - not one bird out of 38 use them !! swings are really made for parrots who have a beak they can use to steady themselves with once on the swing , most chickens get on one -panic with the huge swaying and never get on it again . people keep saying that on this site but i have yet to see one swing or better yet a chicken on a swing . and dont get me wrong , i am constantly looking for sources of entertainment for my girls. i wish someone had a design that really worked ?? hello is anyone out there w a swinging chicken ?

 

[Sylvester017]

My chickens are scared of balls!

It takes chickens a while to get accustomed to introduced new items. It took my chickens 3 days before they'd use the new ladder ramp we made to replace their old rickety one! If they see something hanging around a few days and realize it won't bite them then they will start to get curious. It's going to be fun for us to see how long before they get accustomed to their new coop. We'll have to lock them up in it for a week or two to get used to their new home for roosting and laying eggs.

 

[Sylvester017]

Where can I see a pic of a chicken swing? I have room to possibly put one in the coop.

MyPetChicken.com had them but are out of stock. Apparently cooped/penned chickens will use swings but free-range won't because they have so many foraging interests to keep them busy.

 

[TJordan]

I think my queen hen has finally figured out the plastic coke bottle with scratch and holes. Maybe.

 

[Lynn Manes]

MyPetChicken.com had them but are out of stock.  Apparently cooped/penned chickens will use swings but free-range won't because they have so many foraging interests to keep them busy.

Thanks, Sylvester 017. Going to have a look at them.

 

[Sylvester017]

I think my queen hen has finally figured out the plastic coke bottle with scratch and holes. Maybe.

Chickens are so fickle. One day they are interested in a food or toy and the next week they ignore it. Then as soon as another chicken eats/plays with it all the other chickens suddenly become interested. Fickle birds

 

[Cluckies]

Chickens are so fickle. One day they are interested in a food or toy and the next week they ignore it. Then as soon as another chicken eats/plays with it all the other chickens suddenly become interested. Fickle birds

So true!