Chicken environmental enrichment?

[jennybensmom]

My husband and son built a jungle gym just a few days ago from leftover 2x4's. It took a day for the girls to accept it, but they've all been on it and it increases the square footage of the run.

 

[NewRIRMom]

Very Cool!!!

 

[Reinbeau]

That is an awesome jungle gym for them!

 

[Uppity Peon]

Oh, that look like a lot of fun! I want to play on it too!

 

[jcabanis]

When I keep my flock in for any reason (they mostly free range), and when I am raising meat chickens in the tractor, I put a big bunch of grasses and weeds that they like to eat hanging from the roof of the pen. They will peck at it instead of each other.

 

[farmin'chick]

On the chicken behaviors and egglaying thread, under the You know if you're a crazy chicken lady.... One of the posters included a video of Cornsicles they made for their chickens -- a springy stick or wire stuck in the ground with sections of corn on the cob stuck on them...It's hilarious but might give you some ideas.

 

[journey11]

I have a big log sitting randomly outside my coop (hubby used to split wood on it and we just never got around to moving it). My girls like to sit on top of it and peck at it for bugs. Chickens are easily amused it seems...

 

[michickenwrangler]

When we first got the rooster, I put his feed in an old plastic baby bowl we had leftover from our daughter. It's red BTW and when we put his hutch in with the hens all of them enjoy pecking at it, knocking it over, perching on top of it, you name it. It's kind of entertaining to see where it ends up because I put it back in the hutch every night and the next afternoon, it will be upside down on the other side of the run.

 

[Angelbear]

Great chicken gym.

 

[TreeHugger]

I love the chicken gym!

I don't allow my birds to free range but they do have a large enclosed run. I have tree branches nailed up between the posts for extra outside perches and a large log in the middle of the run. Plus, I hang up apples or corn for them to pick at. I think I'm going to try to set up some cornsicles this weekend