Anybody have any ideas for chicken entertainment?

[jonalisa]

We are not ready to free range our girls yet, but I keep a kiddie pool filled with fresh clumps of grass and weeds for them to scratch and hunt in. (You can toss dried worms in there too.)I have a patio chair cushion they like to relax on, a mirror to stare and peck at, a rubber bin to dust in, a swing to swing on and jungle gym to climb on. I cut a door in a plastic bin for them to shade under... all 9 pile under there!
Also, I have a suet cage hanging for broccoli or flock block and lastly a plastic plant pot tray that I fill with water. They can stand in it to cool down or when I catch a cupful of Japanese beetles, I dump them in the water and the chickens fish them out and eat them.
http://www.pbase.com/jonalisa/image/156504941
http://www.pbase.com/jonalisa/image/156504939

 

[Henrietta2]

My chickens are about 4 1/2 months old and I feel like they might be kinda bored, are there any cool ideas out there to keep them entertained & happy?

I found entertainment for my hens accidentally. I left a towel out in my yard and it rained. When I picked it up the next day there were all sorts of bugs and worms under it. Since this was a "dog towel" I decided to leave it. Now when I let them out they spend some time scratching it all around and rooting for critters. You have to be sure it's not unraveling so they don't eat strings, but it holds their interest for a while.

 

[tridentk9]

I have several of the children's yard toys- little tykes and that ilk. My dogs love to sit on them turns out the chickens think they're pretty cool too. They are accessible underneath so they have a hiding place or shade when needed. Washable. Still waiting to see if any use the slide.

I'm thinking about building a chicken tree-also known as a cat tree. If I glue on PVC mats instead of carpet it might be semi washable and not slippery. Ladders to various levels, hammock maybe. LOL- it may end up looking like a radioactive cactus!

 

[Farming Frenzy]

Oops sorry i thought you knew, its on ly profile page but here is the link https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/decorating-your-coop-some-ideas-and-tips

 

[CherMoz]

Great ideas!

 

[The ChickenKing]

Oops sorry i thought you knew, its on ly profile page but here is the link

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/decorating-your-coop-some-ideas-and-tips

Thanks! That grass is a great idea and I was planning on putting curtains and a lamp, and now I know what color to make it.

 

[The ChickenKing]

I just finished a log and tree branch jungle gym/playground/all you can eat buffet for the girls, and they're lovin' it!!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I just finished a log and tree branch jungle gym/playground/all you can eat buffet for the girls, and they're lovin' it!!

Pics?

 

[christine9]

I also do a lot of things previously mentioned. Added more roosts recently. Provide dust baths. Give frozen fruit or melon rinds. Someone here posted a recipe for substitute flock block. I make that every couple weeks and give as is, hang it, or put it in a suet holder. That works wonders.

Also saw this here somewhere. It's a peanut butter jar with holes drilled in it. They have to knock it around to get the treats out. Works great with pellet feed, scratch, or sunflower seeds.

I've also just started to let my girls free range after the dogs' "bedtime". Lol. This definitely makes a difference. They are happy and so intent on finding bugs/critters.

 

[tatinatimom]

This might work depending on what your chickens like to eat. My chickens hate pumpkins, zucchini, or squashes of any kind. We've served them raw, whole, cutup, cooked, different times of the day - no response!

Mine were the same way. Picky Picky Picky! However, I mixed up some cut up zucchini and yellow squashes and cooked it with some left over rotel until it was soft. It was going to go to waste anyway so I figured I would take ONE MORE SHOT at trying to get the the Princess Pullets and King of the Roost cockerels to eat their veggies... IT WORKED!! They loved it. It was like a feeding frenzy!!