I have now seen it all..........well so far.....

[phelpcd1]

I am laughing so hard. I am a very new chicken keeper (like 4 days). I dug up a couple of worms from the garden today and put them on a stone in the run for my 2 girls (they run from me still). Thelma (my more aggressive and dominant barred rock) spotted them and ran over, grabbed one.......then Louise (buff) came running over and Thelma kept circling the worms not allowing Louise into the circle to get one, she just pushed her away - actually more like bumping her. This is what my freakin dogs do when they get a special treat!!! I about fell over.....had no idea they behaved this way.

On another note, I'm looking for tips/experience on best way to keep a chicken run cleaned out - it's all dirt/grass/weeds right now...and poop is everywhere!

 

[tweetysvoice]

I absolutely love the "I got a treat and you can't have it" dance! Mine do this special "bawk" when they find something good and all the girls will run chasing her after it. Someone else will grab it and they all chase her. It's hilarious!!!

About the run - do you have any other substrate? I'd personally just add more grass/leaves and let the chickens scratch and mulch it up.

 

[texas75563]

Don't get me wrong, I love watching them chase each other around. Then how many times the bug or worm changes hands. Why don't they just stand there and eat something when they find it?

 

[phelpcd1]

I have straw and hay........should I line the run with either of those? No grass clippings or leaves tho.........

 

[PeepinChicken]

The infamous chicken keep away game. One of my favorites, my 8 yo Son just laughs the hardest when they do this, then we all laugh together, great family fun for sure.

 

[tweetysvoice]

I have straw and hay........should I line the run with either of those? No grass clippings or leaves tho.........

Yea, I have my inner run lined with straw. It really helps with the mud control during rainy season. Chickens love to scratch and dig in it! I'll through a little bit (just a couple handfuls) of scratch grain down in the morning and it'll give them a hide and seek type game to locate their favorites!

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Yes I also have a bale of straw in the run for mud control and to provide scratching pleasure and entertainment. Problem is they all scratch it to one side of the run, where they now have a thick carpet of straw while the other half is bare. Guess will need to rake it back. Gotta play the game of who can scratch it to the other side the fastest, them or me.

 

[RedDrgn]

LOL! They're little feathered entertainers, and they'll never cease to come up with new ways to tickle your funny bone (I promise).

My DH and I have been putting a lot of effort into our roo over the past month to make sure he settles into the flock well and understands that he has to accept us as the harmless towering bald creatures that like to roam among them all from time to time (at our leisure). One thing he's definitely learned well is that we usually have a treat or two on us for them at any given moment. So when he sees either of us come out of the house, he gets all worked up and comes running (which is half prancing) from any distance, calling the girls the whole way (they often ignore him), and runs up to us and prances around in place looking for a hand out. When we give him one, if none of the ladies are with him, he keeps calling and gets all bent out of shape trying to figure out who to offer the treats to! If no one comes, he'll eventually carry the goods to the hens (sometimes all of the way across the yard) and give it to them! They've got him whipped for sure!

Your chickens will clean out the grass and weeds in the run in a few weeks, max. What we do all through grass mowing season, is to bag 2-3 bags of grass and put that in the run. The chickens LOVE it; they eat the grass and all of the bugs in it. What they don't eat works great for keeping the dust down and the run manageable. Each week, we use a leaf rake to rake it all up and put it in the compost pile. Then we add new clippings. In the winter we use a mixture of straw and pine shavings.

 

[phelpcd1]

I wish I could have a roo............I would love those shenanigans!!!

I have tried giving them some veges from the garden, but so far all they like is the bok choi. I need to find some really awesome TREATS that will get them coming to me....

 

[RedDrgn]

Lettuce, cucumbers, any kind of squash (especially acorn, zucchini, spaghetti, and yellow...at least for mine). Also carrots, asparagus, broccoli, strawberries, brussle sprouts, blueberries, and just about any melon. Ours are also enamored of dried meal worms. Our EE runs full speed from ANYWHERE when she hears that container rattle and the rest of the flock will never be far behind her!