Chicken boredom busters? How can I keep them entertained in the run?

[matthennessy]

Hey all! I have 2 laying hens in a 10ftWx6.5ftLx6.5H run (I will attach photos of our setup) but they constantly seem to be pecking,digging, and snooping around the edges and door of run where I come in and out. It seems like they spend all day looking for a way out as they can see the rest of our yard from certain areas of the run, which I’m sure they are dying to get to. As much as I dream of having free ranging girls, our fence has 4 inch gaps between the bars that they could easily slip thru and it would drive me crazy worrying about them escaping/getting lost all day, so free ranging is out of the question right now. I give them treats, kitchen scraps, hay, buckets of dirt/sand, and have tried different hanging bird toys stuffed with hay and worms (they haven’t touched those) but I still feel like they are ALWAYS bored and ALWAYS looking for a way out. What else can i do to keep them occupied and busy? I’ve tried the pumpkin carving trick, they don’t get it I guess any “toys” or treats recommendations that I can buy and put in for them to tear up would be greatly appreciated! We are thinking of adding 2 more next summer for more eggs and more socialization for our girls to have a “flock” thanks in advance!

 

[igorsMistress]

Try giving them greens, piles of dirt with straw, dry leaves and yard clippings if the lawn is untreated. You can always pile it up again. They loves piles of mixed stuff so if you put their treats and such in a small pile of dirt and straw they’ll have to search for it. Think of it as a small compost pile. Also, logs or tree limbs or things they can get up on. Old chairs or small tables. You can hang treats up on the side of the run or from the roof so they can reach them from higher roosts.

Maybe get a roll of welded wire fencing to cover the gaps in your fence. It doesn’t even have to be very tall; staple it to your yard fence to keep them from getting out through the slats. A tall roll could be cut in half. Shoot it doesn’t even have to be the welded wire, there’s poultry net that you can use too and it’s even cheaper as I recall.

 

[matthennessy]

Try giving them greens, piles of dirt with straw, dry leaves and yard clippings if the lawn is untreated. You can always pile it up again. They loves piles of mixed stuff so if you put their treats and such in a small pile of dirt and straw they’ll have to search for it. Think of it as a small compost pile. Also, logs or tree limbs or things they can get up on. Old chairs or small tables. You can hang treats up on the side of the run or from the roof so they can reach them from higher roosts.

Maybe get a roll of welded wire fencing to cover the gaps in your fence. It doesn’t even have to be very tall; staple it to your yard fence to keep them from getting out through the slats. A tall roll could be cut in half. Shoot it doesn’t even have to be the welded wire, there’s poultry net that you can use too and it’s even cheaper as I recall.

thanks! i gave them a fresh salad yesterday and they devoured it. they get mounds of dirt, leaves, and grass daily. that definitely always keeps them busy for a couple of hours until they realize the yard is still just beyond their wire fencing haha. unfortunately, our yard is huge, so covering the entire perimeter would be a mission. i'm not sure my parents are ready either to have their entire yard demolished by the chickens. i was thinking that i could even section off a little square by their run and just use the welded wire for that area and be able to let them out there as an "extended run" type thing. (not sure if i explained that well but basically the coop sits in a corner of our yard with the fences right there so id use those two fences and build another 2 to make a closed in area in the grass) the only issue is they can definitely fly over our fence as well if motivated. I'm going to try and find some thick logs today and add those as a climbing factor!

 

[igorsMistress]

thanks! i gave them a fresh salad yesterday and they devoured it. they get mounds of dirt, leaves, and grass daily. that definitely always keeps them busy for a couple of hours until they realize the yard is still just beyond their wire fencing haha. unfortunately, our yard is huge, so covering the entire perimeter would be a mission. i'm not sure my parents are ready either to have their entire yard demolished by the chickens. i was thinking that i could even section off a little square by their run and just use the welded wire for that area and be able to let them out there as an "extended run" type thing. (not sure if i explained that well but basically the coop sits in a corner of our yard with the fences right there so id use those two fences and build another 2 to make a closed in area in the grass) the only issue is they can definitely fly over our fence as well if motivated. I'm going to try and find some thick logs today and add those as a climbing factor!

I get that, I have a line below the chickens reach that is bare. My plants are green above that line, but anything at their height is toast!

I agree even a small extension might be nice for them. You can find thick wooden dowels or a simple 2x2 piece of wood that you sand the edges on to they’re smooth would work great as higher roosts. You can attach to the run or to other stuff to hold them up

 

[BARobbins]

thanks! i gave them a fresh salad yesterday and they devoured it. they get mounds of dirt, leaves, and grass daily. that definitely always keeps them busy for a couple of hours until they realize the yard is still just beyond their wire fencing haha. unfortunately, our yard is huge, so covering the entire perimeter would be a mission. i'm not sure my parents are ready either to have their entire yard demolished by the chickens. i was thinking that i could even section off a little square by their run and just use the welded wire for that area and be able to let them out there as an "extended run" type thing. (not sure if i explained that well but basically the coop sits in a corner of our yard with the fences right there so id use those two fences and build another 2 to make a closed in area in the grass) the only issue is they can definitely fly over our fence as well if motivated. I'm going to try and find some thick logs today and add those as a climbing factor!

We have a bit larger flock (5) but we started much the same base camp and then I bought a 6' roll of 2x4 welded fencing and some light duty fence stakes and made a daytime extended run with netting over it, doubled their area and they love it! Evening time into the secured run and hut. literally 2-hour project. Good luck with the ladies!

 

[BARobbins]

We also at time like to hang a pine cone smeared in Peanut butter (natural) and rolled in crushed nuts... LOVE IT

 

[matthennessy]

We have a bit larger flock (5) but we started much the same base camp and then I bought a 6' roll of 2x4 welded fencing and some light duty fence stakes and made a daytime extended run with netting over it, doubled their area and they love it! Evening time into the secured run and hut. literally 2-hour project. Good luck with the ladies!

So we’ve added a 7x3 extended area to our original coop/run area (the long covered structure on the left) that they have access to at all times as well as a fresh salad, buckets of dirt/grass from our yard, and treats. I still feel like they need more space bc as I’ve learned, the only real “boredom buster” is giving the girls more area to roam, forage, and dig in. I’d love to figure out how to add a chicken tunnel or some sort of other extension like we did with the 7x3 area without having to buy another one of those lol. But this is what we have for now for our 2 girls

 

[matthennessy]

So we’ve added a 7x3 extended area to our original coop/run area (the long covered structure on the left) that they have access to at all times as well as a fresh salad, buckets of dirt/grass from our yard, and treats. I still feel like they need more space bc as I’ve learned, the only real “boredom buster” is giving the girls more area to roam, forage, and dig in. I’d love to figure out how to add a chicken tunnel or some sort of other extension like we did with the 7x3 area without having to buy another one of those lol. But this is what we have for now for our 2 girls

I also gave them a straw bale the other day which is what you see all over the ground as they dug threw that within a couple of hours

 

[Mrs. K]

I would add some more clutter, things they can get up on, or underneath, and some roosts, and some mini walls. So that it looks cluttered, but actually makes more usable space.

However, I have a huge run, and mine dug a hole right in the gate as I step in, just to roll my ankle!

Mrs K

 

[friednotscrambled]

Cut down a small (6 to 7 ft) conifer or juniper and stick it in there. They will love going in and out of the branches and when the needles fall off, will sit on the branches.

Get a couple square bales of straw or hay, cut and remove the cords and let them scratch the hay around. Toss scratch in so that have to search for it.