Chicken boredom busters? How can I keep them entertained in the run?

[matthennessy]

Hey all! I have 2 laying hens in a 10ftWx6.5ftLx6.5H run (I will attach photos of our setup) but they constantly seem to be pecking,digging, and snooping around the edges and door of run where I come in and out. It seems like they spend all day looking for a way out as they can see the rest of our yard from certain areas of the run, which I’m sure they are dying to get to. As much as I dream of having free ranging girls, our fence has 4 inch gaps between the bars that they could easily slip thru and it would drive me crazy worrying about them escaping/getting lost all day, so free ranging is out of the question right now. I give them treats, kitchen scraps, hay, buckets of dirt/sand, and have tried different hanging bird toys stuffed with hay and worms (they haven’t touched those) but I still feel like they are ALWAYS bored and ALWAYS looking for a way out. What else can i do to keep them occupied and busy? I’ve tried the pumpkin carving trick, they don’t get it I guess any “toys” or treats recommendations that I can buy and put in for them to tear up would be greatly appreciated! We are thinking of adding 2 more next summer for more eggs and more socialization for our girls to have a “flock” thanks in advance!

 

[igorsMistress]

Try giving them greens, piles of dirt with straw, dry leaves and yard clippings if the lawn is untreated. You can always pile it up again. They loves piles of mixed stuff so if you put their treats and such in a small pile of dirt and straw they’ll have to search for it. Think of it as a small compost pile. Also, logs or tree limbs or things they can get up on. Old chairs or small tables. You can hang treats up on the side of the run or from the roof so they can reach them from higher roosts.

Maybe get a roll of welded wire fencing to cover the gaps in your fence. It doesn’t even have to be very tall; staple it to your yard fence to keep them from getting out through the slats. A tall roll could be cut in half. Shoot it doesn’t even have to be the welded wire, there’s poultry net that you can use too and it’s even cheaper as I recall.

 

[matthennessy]

Try giving them greens, piles of dirt with straw, dry leaves and yard clippings if the lawn is untreated. You can always pile it up again. They loves piles of mixed stuff so if you put their treats and such in a small pile of dirt and straw they’ll have to search for it. Think of it as a small compost pile. Also, logs or tree limbs or things they can get up on. Old chairs or small tables. You can hang treats up on the side of the run or from the roof so they can reach them from higher roosts.

Maybe get a roll of welded wire fencing to cover the gaps in your fence. It doesn’t even have to be very tall; staple it to your yard fence to keep them from getting out through the slats. A tall roll could be cut in half. Shoot it doesn’t even have to be the welded wire, there’s poultry net that you can use too and it’s even cheaper as I recall.

thanks! i gave them a fresh salad yesterday and they devoured it. they get mounds of dirt, leaves, and grass daily. that definitely always keeps them busy for a couple of hours until they realize the yard is still just beyond their wire fencing haha. unfortunately, our yard is huge, so covering the entire perimeter would be a mission. i'm not sure my parents are ready either to have their entire yard demolished by the chickens. i was thinking that i could even section off a little square by their run and just use the welded wire for that area and be able to let them out there as an "extended run" type thing. (not sure if i explained that well but basically the coop sits in a corner of our yard with the fences right there so id use those two fences and build another 2 to make a closed in area in the grass) the only issue is they can definitely fly over our fence as well if motivated. I'm going to try and find some thick logs today and add those as a climbing factor!

 

[igorsMistress]

thanks! i gave them a fresh salad yesterday and they devoured it. they get mounds of dirt, leaves, and grass daily. that definitely always keeps them busy for a couple of hours until they realize the yard is still just beyond their wire fencing haha. unfortunately, our yard is huge, so covering the entire perimeter would be a mission. i'm not sure my parents are ready either to have their entire yard demolished by the chickens. i was thinking that i could even section off a little square by their run and just use the welded wire for that area and be able to let them out there as an "extended run" type thing. (not sure if i explained that well but basically the coop sits in a corner of our yard with the fences right there so id use those two fences and build another 2 to make a closed in area in the grass) the only issue is they can definitely fly over our fence as well if motivated. I'm going to try and find some thick logs today and add those as a climbing factor!

I get that, I have a line below the chickens reach that is bare. My plants are green above that line, but anything at their height is toast!

I agree even a small extension might be nice for them. You can find thick wooden dowels or a simple 2x2 piece of wood that you sand the edges on to they’re smooth would work great as higher roosts. You can attach to the run or to other stuff to hold them up