Forage material in the coop?

[FeatherToes0328]

Hi BYC Fam!
We have our coop, although not completely finished and plan to build a run also. My question is do I need to provide foraging materials inside of the coop? It was built over a section of lawn without a ton of grass and now it's obviously bare. I just feel that they are kind of bored, I know that sounds silly. I'm just wondering if I should provide them some foraging material until we get the run completed. If so, what are some good suggestions? TIA!

 

[50-45-1]

Sorry I see a small coop in the picture. Can't you just move that each day to fresh grass?

 

[AinaWGSD]

Yeah, unless they have like a full acre it's likely that the run will be scratched bare no matter how much grass was there to begin with.

In the fall, leaves are an excellent source of environmental enrichment for chickens. In the summer I pull weeds by the wagon full and dump them in the chicken run. Whenever I clean out a brooder, or the coop itself (I use deep litter) I dump the shavings in a pile in the run for them to scratch through. Sometimes I even sprinkle a little scratch grains over it (either before or after dumping it) so they have goodies to find. If you have japanese beetles, you can get the pheromone bag traps and empty those into a bowl of water as a treat. And frozen pumpkin guts are a big hit with my girls.

For what it's worth, it looks like you're using plastic(?) mesh for fencing there? It'll keep chickens in just fine, but it's not going to keep predators out at all. You need the welded wire hardware cloth for predator proofing. Even in town, you're going to have predators like raccoons and opposums.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How big will the run be once completed? Will it be done soon? No reason to put enrichment items in a coop, especially since you don't have space for it, but it's a good idea to have clutter and other enrichment items out in the run.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Sorry I see a small coop in the picture. Can't you just move that each day to fresh grass?

If it’s anything like the prefab I owned that looked like that, no. The thing will fall apart after a month of moves. They’re held together by teeny tiny finishing nails. And I use the words “held together” lightly lol. Maybe OP’s is better than mine. It does have a fancy paint job…

 

[FeatherToes0328]

Yeah, unless they have like a full acre it's likely that the run will be scratched bare no matter how much grass was there to begin with.

In the fall, leaves are an excellent source of environmental enrichment for chickens. In the summer I pull weeds by the wagon full and dump them in the chicken run. Whenever I clean out a brooder, or the coop itself (I use deep litter) I dump the shavings in a pile in the run for them to scratch through. Sometimes I even sprinkle a little scratch grains over it (either before or after dumping it) so they have goodies to find. If you have japanese beetles, you can get the pheromone bag traps and empty those into a bowl of water as a treat. And frozen pumpkin guts are a big hit with my girls.

For what it's worth, it looks like you're using plastic(?) mesh for fencing there? It'll keep chickens in just fine, but it's not going to keep predators out at all. You need the welded wire hardware cloth for predator proofing. Even in town, you're going to have predators like raccoons and opposums.

Thank you. Those are great ideas to keep them busy scratching & pecking! I did let them out in a covered/protected area this afternoon to peck around while I cleaned and added some more pine needles to their coop.
The coop is being finished as we speak. The PVC mesh was only there temporarily until we got the rest of the hardware cloth up and the roof dried in. We live in central Florida so we definitely have eagles, osprey and coyotes at night. Our fenced in yard is secure, but I don't trust the birds of prey as we live in a bird sanctuary-go figure. Thanks so much for your input!

 

[FeatherToes0328]

How big will the run be once completed? Will it be done soon? No reason to put enrichment items in a coop, especially since you don't have space for it, but it's a good idea to have clutter and other enrichment items out in the run.

We have not decided yet. I do want to get a few more chicks next spring so large enough to eventually allow space for at least 6-8. Thanks for your input, I so appreciate it!

 

[StinkyAcres]

How about a grazing frame?

 

[FeatherToes0328]

If it’s anything like the prefab I owned that looked like that, no. The thing will fall apart after a month of moves. They’re held together by teeny tiny finishing nails. And I use the words “held together” lightly lol. Maybe OP’s is better than mine. It does have a fancy paint job…

Lol, no that's their little baby hutch from before and right after they came outside. It was given to us. It's sitting inside the larger coop we are building now. I have not gotten a perch up for them yet and they like to sleep on the roof of the baby coop so I left it until I get their perch up. My husband suffered a severe hand laceration at work and had to have 2 surgeries he is still recuperating from. I am disabled so I'm not as good with tools as he. We have a friend currently helping us finish the coop and run.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Lol, no that's their little baby hutch from before and right after they came outside. It was given to us. It's sitting inside the larger coop we are building now. I have not gotten a perch up for them yet and they like to sleep on the roof of the baby coop so I left it until I get their perch up. My husband suffered a severe hand laceration at work and had to have 2 surgeries he is still recuperating from. I am disabled so I'm not as good with tools as he. We have a friend currently helping us finish the coop and run.

That is the best use for those prefabs! I used mine inside our run for six grown hens while my husband was recovering from a heart attack:/ He got the fencing done so I just put the coop inside cause I was no way going to ask him to do anything else and I had a little one at the time. It was rough but the chickens survived and got a bigger coop later