Anybody have any ideas for chicken entertainment?

[mowgli457]

real super simple ! any kind of squash - spaghetti - butternut, acorn, -cut in half ,put in bowl w 1/2 cup water cover w plastic wrap and microwave for 10- 12 min .my girls will pick it so clean is like a babies ***. lol. soda bottles -any and all kinds -shapes -sizes hang from neck after you have drilled holes on sides and bottom then fill w scratch !! bought some pvc pipe from home depot -the size i thought my girls could handle - they sell caps for the ends , one piece of pipe made 6 i think ? so i then drilled holes of varying sizes all around the pipe ( not the caps ) and again filled w scratch .they roll them all over trying to get tht scratch !!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

"Tilly's Nest" website has an article on how/why the new avian flu is spreading and how the type A viruses mutate -- she's a nurse and is always on top of medical issues re: chickens.

 

[bigmrg74]

Just got a bag of ear corn today. I've been tossing in a ear every other day or so. Figures it gives them something good to pick at and get good energy into their systems.

 

[Sylvester017]

Just got a bag of ear corn today. I've been tossing in a ear every other day or so. Figures it gives them something good to pick at and get good energy into their systems.

Penned chickens are especially hard to keep busy. Boredom even visits my free-range girls! I have to fence them off while I'm gardening so they don't stick their heads under my tools when I'm digging! Pesky girls but I love them.

 

[farmgirl200]

Chickens really like egg shells, and if you have enough, it'll keep them busy for awhile! Dietamatious Earth is a dewormer, and they love to roll and dig in it. Also grass will keep them busy just to peck at. If you have any chicken scratch/cracked corn, they love that! They'll just eat it, my chickens love it! Hope this helps!

 

[kubotafoot]

Just got a bag of ear corn today. I've been tossing in a ear every other day or so. Figures it gives them something good to pick at and get good energy into their systems.

If you hang a corn by the stem they go nuts with it like a pinching bag, but sometimes it can get a little too frantic and hit each other with the swinging corn, so I found to hand a corn by the stem, but put it next to a wall and they can get it to move left to right, but not to swing out at them and possibly get hurt!

 

[farmgirl200]

Yeah!

 

[TJordan]

I did the same to a 1/4 head of cabbage.... They liked it better just tossed on the ground but still. I'll set up some corn...

 

[kubotafoot]

It keeps it a lot cleaner and that is important to me now they are all cooped up (pun intended) in the barn due to heavy snow.

 

[Sylvester017]

Chickens really like egg shells, and if you have enough, it'll keep them busy for awhile! Dietamatious Earth is a dewormer, and they love to roll and dig in it. Also grass will keep them busy just to peck at. If you have any chicken scratch/cracked corn, they love that! They'll just eat it, my chickens love it! Hope this helps!

A couple breeds I had were respiratory sensitive so I declined using powders like baking soda, DE, lice dusts, etc. There were so many warnings on white food grade DE about wearing masks and goggles and gloves when handling and since I can't put masks/goggles on my chickens I declined using it or other powders. There is so much debate about DE I was confused about using it and went on the side of caution about it. The following article made the most intelligent sense to me so I'll post it for casual perusal/interest:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/05/diatomaceous-earth-de-benefitrisk.html