Hanging Vegetables

[BolenBrood]

I was wondering what people use to hang cabbage heads and broccoli from their coop to entertain and give treats to their chickens. I am having a hard time coming up with something safe. Ideas?

 

[blue fire]

I would use twine and if you tie it tightly they cant swallow it. They cant break twine

 

[nccountrygirl]

We use heavy string like butcher string. Tie it around the stem of the cabbage tightly and stand back, or get run over by stampeding chickens.

 

[herechickchick]

I put mine in one of these, without the liner and flowers of course.

I get lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, Grape tomatoes, berries (raspberries, blue berries) Cut tomatoes, cucumber and I cut it all up and fill the hanging baskets. They go NUTS for it.

 

[blue fire]

SMART!!!

 

[DuckLady]

I use a fish stringer.

 

[ole-crone]

Whatever you use, just be careful! Last week we had near disaster occur in our chicken coop. We had an old string hanging from the ceiling - probably left over from holding up a feeder or light. It's been there for years and nothing has ever happened with it before - it was hanging about 2 feet from the closest nesting box and was at least 3 feet off the ground- I figured too far for anyone to get tangled up in. WRONG. I was shocked to walk into the coop and find one of my Black Star hens calmly hanging upside down from it! It was wrapped around her foot twice - I still can't figure out how that happened. Luckily, it must have just happened. Her foot, although a bit cold to the touch didn't show any signs of struggle. I untangled her, rubbed her foot to get the circulation going again and she was good as new. Needless to say, it was cut down ASAP.

Maybe it is just Black Stars that are accident prone. We had another accident in the coop last spring. This didn't have as happy an ending. I walked into the coop to find one of my Black Stars hanging upside down from the perch. Somehow she had gotten her foot caught in the corner where the perch met the upright support. She was dead. The poor thing had obviously struggled to get loose, bloodying her head from banging it on the perch.

 

[Wynette]

LOVE your idea, Herechickchick! I just cut a coat hanger & pushed it through the head of cabbage when I did this once; my girls & roo ignored it.

I also use a large suet feeder for smaller items, which works great.

 

[muddler6]

Since I only have a few birds right now I use a suet feeder cage, stick the greens and veggies in there and let them nip and pull at them until they get them out then they inhale them.

 

[BolenBrood]

I usually just toss their treats on the coop floor but I thought hanging a cabbage might entertain them a bit. They only get about an hour a day of free ranging.