Chicken entertainment?

[Laurieks]

Black Oil Sunflower Seed

 

[johnnalei]

Just an update...I put a bale of hay out of there and they are silent! I have it standing upright so they can kind of pick at it and I put a bit down on the ground for them to play with.

 

[gsim]

I have 24 pullets and a cabbage head has a life expectancy of around 1/2 hr.

I do have 3 perches outside and also a dust bath area that is about 7 ft across. When it is too wet to be a dust bath, they still root around in it. I also have a natural low corner of the run and leaves collect there. They take turns burrowing in them to make tempy nests for naps and rooting around in them. I am thinking about a chickie jungle gymn. Boy, I really have been hanging around the chickens too much !

 

[gryeyes]

Mine don't have a clue what to do with BOSS. But then again, I didn't toss any into the coop litter for them to discover in the scratching around process. Hmmmm. I just tossed some into the covered run because I'd not picked up any mealworms nor hard-boiled and chopped any eggs for them or given them any shredded cheese lately.

They looked at the black seeds in the run, sideways, then up REAL close, but then backed off like the things might jump up and get 'em. Maybe the BOSS will be gone tomorrow.... I hope so. I have this huge bag I bought, thinking, whoo hooo! BYCers say they'll love this stuff!

Then again, my chickens thought cooked oatmeal was something horrible in their treat dish, and the small cut up pumpkin was some sort of chicken killin' alien thing.

I didn't like rice or spinach or Chinese food when I was a kid; maybe my chickens will "grow into" liking BOSS and pumpkin and oatmeal when they get older.

 

[Sam The Yam]

When it is lawn mowing season, I like to dump a pile of grass clippings in the run. They like to scratch through the pile and get it all leveled out. Seems to keep the occupied for awhile.

 

[tlcorley]

just want to thank all of you for the great ideas.

 

[rirluvr]

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[ChookHappy]

Quote:
I decided I wanted to do the same thing while painting the coop today. I'll have to take a pic of what it was that sparked the idea and update in the morn but they seemed to have fun going across it and buggin each other for a spot to hang out. lol their like old married couples in that fashion. Cats get cat trees, why can't chickens get the same type of deal.

EDIT: Ok so maybe it wasn't this morning but here it is none the less.

Coop is almost done!!! This run pictured will end up being the body to my next coop hehe.

Weird shot of Minnie. Our runt. It looks like what she is doing should be impossible lol. I couldn't resist adding what is finally a great pic of the gang.

 

[gsim]

Sam the yam said he dumps grass into the run for them to play with. I dump it into the run for mine to eat, and they gobble it up. I throw fresh cut grass in there every day for them to eat along with garden waste too. Mine have always had tons of greens from day 1. May have been why they began laying at 4 months? Half of them are real fatsos, like meaties and look like well over a year old at only 6 months. They run like sumo-wrestlers, kind of a super high speed waddle.

When they use their wings to accelerate tho, they are graceful and much faster. I see that often as the last few that explode from the coop realize that I am at the gate with treats and they have been caught inside the coop. They see that the rest of the flock is already in prime positions to get treats. Sometimes they do not touch the ground for 20 - 30 ft !

Wkhen they were tiny chicks I used to whistle the U of Tenn theme song, 'Rocky Top'. Now when I do that there is a mas stampede, wings flapping, dust and leaves flying and the latecomers actually flying over the ground not touching it.

 

[Keri78]

LOVE IT!!! I make a clicking sound whenever I feed them (ever since they were babies too) and they do the same cute summo jog across the side yard when they see us! Blessings, Keri