Entertainment for your flock?

[mviera101]

Great ideas,
I too have perches and suet boxes inside the coop .They do love roosting on the backyard chairs and sandy areas under the trees are great for dust baths. I'm going to check out the links for added entertainment ,mine not necessarily theirs. They are the funniest of birds. My Brahma hops like a rabbit and flutters like a butterfly when she's excited.

 

[aart]

Foods, especially fatty foods, for 'entertainment'...
...make for fat and unhealthy birds.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Very wise, @aart, and a good reminder. It’s always a temptation.

I think I will make a low swing (probably more for my amusement than theirs) and maybe put in some logs and suchlike in. They do have quite a lot of space with trees, plants etc already so I guess it’s more interesting than some chicken homes already.

 

[TwentyOneChickens]

We added a swing a while back but they didn’t use it so we took it down. I provide treats daily we also have 5 perches.

 

[Ted_Harrell]

Hollywoozle, sounds like you are an awesome chicky mom

 

[Willowspirit]

Here is a good infographic which I got some of my ideas from for environmental enrichment form my flock - http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/environmental-enrichment-for-poultry

This is very cool. Thank you for sharing it.

 

[JoeInPA]

I bought them one of these things and filled it with steel cut oats which they love, but they can't seem to figure it out.

 

[thecarmiearmy]

I have tree stumps a large rock and a swing. The adult birds don't care about the swing but baby chicks love hopping from the stumps to the swing then fly off only to line up and do it again. I have sand in my Run so they definitely dig holes and have great dust baths.

Great ideas, thank you so much! We're getting our chicken run built atm and we plan on installing a swing. I love the idea with the stump! There's so many old, cut stumps just lying around near me... Could easily repurpose rather than letting it rot!

 

[JoeInPA]

I tried a cabbage tetherball today and my chickens had no interest. They honestly didn't even seem to notice it, lol. Of course.

 

[Katonk]

I've got an old bunk bed ladder and a swing for them. I'm improving their run right now and have a small tree I debarked and trimmed that I felled earlier in the summer I want to use as a new swing for them. I love seeing them glide down from higher up so I've set up lots of different levels of perches in their coop and plan on doing the same in their new larger run I'm working on. I wanted to rotate them around my land using the electrified netting but it's just too far out of our budget this year. Predators are a problem where I'm at. So are snakes. While I love the idea of using leaning pallets as hidaways I think for my land I'll just end up inviting the local Rattlers to stay awhile... I've not been able to find specific laws on when it's ok to shoot one of those (timber rattlesnakes are protected but I know there's exceptions when protecting livestock) so I do my best to make it less appealing to them.
But a flock with chicks is pretty appealing.
Anyhoo I love my little co workers and feel a happy chicken is a tasty chicken. Love what everyone is responding with, great ideas for my fluffy butts!