A cluttered run

[JenniMcChick]

You can try it, but a lot of birds get nervous about using anything that sways/doesn't feel solid, like a swing.

Yeah. My husband incorporated a swing into the jungle gym I asked him to build for me. I loved it & thought it was awesome! The girls, however, hate it & don't use it. Totally freaked out when we tried placing them on it to "teach" them what it was for. But dh got brownie points anyway.
I've since figured out that it's because the rope was centered on each end of the 2x4 so it's not stable enough & will teeter forward or backwards when they tried to hop on.
Had thought I'd make adjustments to it, but now thinking I may just replace it with a metal "basket" I have & put a little hay in it. But certainly don't want them trying to make a nest and lay eggs in there, so I'll have to continue contemplating that one, I suppose.

 

[JenniMcChick]

Where did you get the turtle sandbox and what kind of dusting material do you use? I’ve noticed my birds like the dry dirt in my yard but don’t really want to dig a hold to fill a bath. What other options has anyone used with success?

I have two dusting stations in my run. One is a tree stump my husband spent HOURS hallowing out for me to use for this purpose. (& yes, I had him build the run specifically to accommodate it. ) The other is a plastic bin I repurposed from my Pre-K classroom years.
They used both quite a bit more during the Summer. But now that everything is dead in there, they pretty much scratch & dust bathe wherever they want!
They also free range a lot more now that they are grown. We have 3+ acres for them to roam on, but they pretty much stay on 1.5 of it & have created some spots of their own in both front and back yards.

 

[JenniMcChick]

Here's some of our clutter ideas! Leentoos for shade as well. I enjoy seeing others setups as it gives me even more ideas! We change up the chair locations once a week, just shifting them around and such.

We have plans of putting more branches/perches just haven't gotten that far. (And the random brick was the food stand before we hung it and just never moved it...lol)

Beautiful girls!

 

[Washergirl]

good Lord, this is why I can't post pictures, I am sorry for the repeated pictures.

Behind the plywood is a feed bowl that really cannot be seen from most of the rest of the run.
I have the pallet leaned to the east as it is giving shade in the late afternoon.

If you notice the black plastic box, it is used for wind shelter, and there is a feed bowl in front of it, but there is also one behind it, under that old piece of tin. So I have 3 feed stations all out of the sight mostly of any bird at another station.

The old saddle rack and saw horse and the branch in the corner allow my birds to perch in the late afternoon sun. It gives them another way to get away from each other.

Now I realize that many of you live where that much old junk would not be tolerated by the neighbors, but I wanted to give you ideas what maybe you could add to make the run more interesting and safer to your chickens.

This summer I got a single bird, at 10 weeks of age integrated into the flock. She is still a bit of an outcast, but she is working in more and more each day. I won't say she never gets a bit of a chase or a peck, but she can escape and get away.

Hope this perhaps give you some ideas.

Mrs K

I’m a few years late but this seems to be an interesting and useful thread. I have a small flock of only one rooster a Cochin bantam, 1 Cochin hen 2 Polish hens (these three hens are fairly docile in the flock. Then I have 3 partridge rocks, (a lot bigger bird than I expected) and 1 Easter egger who tends to pick on the weak. I brought home today 5 Cochin hens just starting to lay. ( I was only going to get eggs for a broody partridge rock but chicken math happened) so I have them penned in a large coop the bottom half we had sectioned off for new birds. There are roosts on both sides and one across the center. Above the nesting boxes is another area they like to roost during the summer months. At night the small birds go to another much smaller coop but this one has more room to house extras. Should I leave them caged up for just a week and then let them into the yard ? The rooster has already come to see what’s up. And I also open the yard for the original flock to free range a few acres. Smaller coop pictured also all are still covered for cold weather

 

[Mrs. K]

1 Cochin hen 2 Polish hens (these three hens are fairly docile in the flock. Then I have 3 partridge rocks, (a lot bigger bird than I expected) and 1 Easter egger who tends to pick on the weak. I brought home today 5 Cochin hens just starting to lay.

So basically you are doubling you flock? I only see three birds in the cage. It can be rather tricky. And a lot of fiddling around. Even with the pictures, I can' really tell the dimensions of the coops or the run. I did see a lot of roosts in the run. Are there hideouts? Mini walls, where a bird can step out of sight?

After a day or two in the cage, I would try and flip your birds. I would put the original in the cage, and let the new birds out and about. I would consider letting out the roosters too - see how that goes. This gives a little territorial rights to the new birds, they can find feed bowls, water, check out the coop and nests without being chased. Maybe two days like that.

Then late in the afternoon, let everyone out in the big yard, if they all go back to the coop near dark, you are golden. Sometimes this is not a big deal, and sometimes, rather a nightmare. SPACE is the key issue, and doubling your flock is like decreasing your space by half.

Mrs K

 

[Samouce]

good Lord, this is why I can't post pictures, I am sorry for the repeated pictures.

Behind the plywood is a feed bowl that really cannot be seen from most of the rest of the run.
I have the pallet leaned to the east as it is giving shade in the late afternoon.

If you notice the black plastic box, it is used for wind shelter, and there is a feed bowl in front of it, but there is also one behind it, under that old piece of tin. So I have 3 feed stations all out of the sight mostly of any bird at another station.

The old saddle rack and saw horse and the branch in the corner allow my birds to perch in the late afternoon sun. It gives them another way to get away from each other.

Now I realize that many of you live where that much old junk would not be tolerated by the neighbors, but I wanted to give you ideas what maybe you could add to make the run more interesting and safer to your chickens.

This summer I got a single bird, at 10 weeks of age integrated into the flock. She is still a bit of an outcast, but she is working in more and more each day. I won't say she never gets a bit of a chase or a peck, but she can escape and get away.

Hope this perhaps give you some ideas.

Mrs K

Thank you for the post, I love the ideas!