How do you make your run fun for your chickens?

[TaylorGlade]

I decided to jazz up the chicken run by adding a huge mirror. (It's an unbreakable mirror made for a child's room). To my surprise, those 12-week-old cream leg bar chicks went bonkers for it. They gathered 'round like they'd discovered a secret club. Pecking at their own reflections, they seemed to be having a feathery pow-wow. It's safe to say that mirror is now the hottest spot in the coop, right after their beloved treat ball.

What do you have that your chickens dearly love?

 

[Debbie292d]

There are so many ideas I've seen in BYC or on the internet, but the cheapest and most "fun" was setting up teeter totters. We lay a smaller split log flat side down, then balance about a foot wide 1/2 - 1" board about 4' - 5' feet long. They have a hoot walking up and down on it, and it's hilarious if there's a lighter chicken on one end when the heavier chicken jumps up.

One other thing for in the winter when they are locked in for days on end, we drill a hole in a cabbage and hang it from the ceiling. We've hung bunches of Kale too. You could hang about anything but just be careful with what you're using so a chicken couldn't get their head caught in it.

 

[TaylorGlade]

There are so many ideas I've seen in BYC or on the internet, but the cheapest and most "fun" was setting up teeter totters. We lay a smaller split log flat side down, then balance about a foot wide 1/2 - 1" board about 4' - 5' feet long. They have a hoot walking up and down on it, and it's hilarious if there's a lighter chicken on one end when the heavier chicken jumps up.

One other thing for in the winter when they are locked in for days on end, we drill a hole in a cabbage and hang it from the ceiling. We've hung bunches of Kale too. You could hang about anything but just be careful with what you're using so a chicken couldn't get their head caught in it.

I love the teeter totter idea! I may have to snag this for our new chicken run! What a cool idea

 

[RubelliteRose]

Mine absolutely love big piles of hay or straw. They have a blast scratching it up and throwing it around the run!

 

[TaylorGlade]

Mine absolutely love big piles of hay or straw. They have a blast scratching it up and throwing it around the run!

Yes! Mine like the alfafa hay. It's funny to watch them run around with it all over their backs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Lots of ideas here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/page-6#post-25037140

 

[Officialchickensnuggler]

I decided to jazz up the chicken run by adding a huge mirror. (It's an unbreakable mirror made for a child's room). To my surprise, those 12-week-old cream leg bar chicks went bonkers for it. They gathered 'round like they'd discovered a secret club. Pecking at their own reflections, they seemed to be having a feathery pow-wow. It's safe to say that mirror is now the hottest spot in the coop, right after their beloved treat ball. View attachment 3628639

What do you have that your chickens dearly love?

They love their treats! I wanna make them a swing too!!!

 

[DLA]

There are so many ideas I've seen in BYC or on the internet, but the cheapest and most "fun" was setting up teeter totters. We lay a smaller split log flat side down, then balance about a foot wide 1/2 - 1" board about 4' - 5' feet long. They have a hoot walking up and down on it, and it's hilarious if there's a lighter chicken on one end when the heavier chicken jumps up.

One other thing for in the winter when they are locked in for days on end, we drill a hole in a cabbage and hang it from the ceiling. We've hung bunches of Kale too. You could hang about anything but just be careful with what you're using so a chicken couldn't get their head caught in it.

I use a wine corkscrew into the core of the cabbage head to hang it, also have a swing, a xylophone, a mirror and plastic cat toy shiny jingle balls - they have a blast with those. That teeter totter sounds like a cool idea.

 

[Debbie292d]

I use a wine corkscrew into the core of the cabbage head to hang it, also have a swing, a xylophone, a mirror and plastic cat toy shiny jingle balls - they have a blast with those. That teeter totter sounds like a cool idea.

A wine corkscrew is ingenious! That's what we're doing from now on! Thank you!

 

[TaylorGlade]

I use a wine corkscrew into the core of the cabbage head to hang it, also have a swing, a xylophone, a mirror and plastic cat toy shiny jingle balls - they have a blast with those. That teeter totter sounds like a cool idea.

Do they like the xylophone? I was thinking of one but wasn't sure they'd actually use it