Treat and toy in one

[M.J]

okay so i made this little dohicky to keep my layers ocupied and unstressed i put a nail half way into the top of a 4 inch by 3inch but about 6 inches long and attached a string to the nail so it could hang a little over eye level to my chicken then i diced up all there favorites cellery, carrots some grass and i put a thin layer of peanut butter to all sides of the hanging board then applyed all there taste treats. they just loved it.
Do any of your chickens have toys to ocupie then and if so what are they? and if you try out this idea tell what you think of it?

 

[nu2chixinmo]

HHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMM - This sounds good for them, I will have to try it. Do you know what this scratch is and exactly when can you give your chickens all the goodies? I gave my babies some cantaloupe last night, they pecked at it, by morning it was gone. Do you know of any good "toys" for them? I think they get board in the coop all the time, maybe a jungle gym or something
Would love to hear some ideas!!

 

[Oaknim]

Pumpkins and watermelons are always a hit over here - they spend hours picking away at it and chasing the bugs that get attracted to the sugars. Digging up or tilling some dirt always occupies them for a good amount of time as they scratch around in it and look for bugs. Occasionally, I'll lay down some old plywood sheets and let them sit for a few weeks, then call everyone over when I lift it up - they eat all the unsuspecting buggies that made their home there...then I start feeling guilty...

My chickens also love to play with orange peels - they don't eat them, just play keep away and throw them around. In the summer, they play in a sprinkler and fly into trees to jump off and land in puddles. Chickens find hilarious ways to entertain themselves! ~ Oaknim

 

[TinaMarie]

Jungle Gym in the coop? lol thats a funny idea.. I read that to my hubby and he said.. "close that website, no more work for me!".... lol.. I do think thats a great idea though! would be fun!

Tina

 

[bayourouge]

i wonder sometimes about whether or not chickens would enjoy some of the same toys caged birds do. would like to hear from anyone who's tried it

 

[GinaSki]

M.J. ~
Can you post a picture of this 'toy' you have fashioned ??
I would love to find things to amuse my girls ..
thanks ! Gina

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I've heard of people putting bells and mirrors in their coops. Ringing the bell was pretty popular. Anything sized for a large parrot, like a macaw or cockatoo, should be chicken safe. They make heavy duty bells, mirrors that are made of polished metal, so they won't break and a really hard bead material called marbella, that comes in huge sizes, so they can't be swallowed. I have a parrot, can you tell???

Hanging a cabbage is popular or hanging carrots. I once read about a woman who had a chicken that would swing on the rope that the carrots were hanging from! I would have enjoyed seeing that!

One of the chicken cams on the web had a jungle gym made from boards in the back of the chicken run. They also had a couple of pygmy goats in the run, so I wasn't sure who the gym was made for, but I saw chickens up there!

 

[Gracefulspice]

Quote:

....I do the same thing...glad it's not only me.