Keeping My Girls Busy

[Eryniel]

I recently acquired a young flock of pullets (about 7 weeks old) of 2 RIR and 2 Black Sex Links in a coop of 6x8. They are gorgeous girls and I'm really enjoying them. However, I am not a stay-at-home-mom, and worry that they get bored while I'm away.
So after a bit of research, I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can help me with. lol
I have a short roost at the moment (only like 2 inches high), but am soon going to have to add to it and make it higher. Currently I'm using a 2x4, with the 2" side up. What would a good height be? And should I switch to using the 4" side, or is the 2" okay?
Also, what on earth are "clean ashes"?? My husband and I grill a lot, would the ashes from our pit be considered "clean ashes"?
And what are some of the best "toys" to keep my girls entertained?
I have a picture of my coop below, for reference.
View attachment 1230902 View attachment 1230904
(I no longer have the heat lamp)

 

[17 chickens]

The Roost is fine right now at the 2" for this young age when they get to be 5-6 months old I would put it at the 4". As for as from a BBQ that's not considered clean ash, Clean ash is from just wood no other items such as plastic and foods.
For toys I hang a green cabbage head from a rope and I also put a little hand held mirror up so they can look at them self's. ( It is pretty funny to watch) I also put a few parrot toys in the coop and hang them on the wall or ceiling. You should be set with a chicken day care camp!

 

[jthornton]

I take a trash can and pack leaves in then turn it upside down and pull it off, most of the time it makes a cool leaf tower that they love to dig into looking for who know what.

JT

 

[Eryniel]

I can do that! Awesome, thanks!

The Roost is fine right now at the 2" for this young age when they get to be 5-6 months old I would put it at the 4". As for as from a BBQ that's not considered clean ash, Clean ash is from just wood no other items such as plastic and foods.
For toys I hang a green cabbage head from a rope and I also put a little hand held mirror up so they can look at them self's. ( It is pretty funny to watch) I also put a few parrot toys in the coop and hang them on the wall or ceiling. You should be set with a chicken day care camp!

 

[Eryniel]

Oh my goodness, I have SO many leaves... I can definitely do that! Thank you!

I take a trash can and pack leaves in then turn it upside down and pull it off, most of the time it makes a cool leaf tower that they love to dig into looking for who know what.

JT

 

[Mrs. K]

Also make sure your run is not just an open 2-dimensional spot, put up some roosts in the run too, add a pallet on saw horses or up on bricks, so that birds can get under it and on top of it. Gives a bit of shade in the summer, give a place to bask in the sun in winter. Little mini walls, allow birds a time out away from the other birds. These keep birds healthier and happier. The area will look more cluttered, but it gives more interest and space to the birds.

ps - I am just guessing as I cannot open your pictures

 

[Ridgerunner]

It said I do not have permission to open that photo so I can't look at it either. You might want to use the “report” button to get some help in how to correct that. Photos really help.

When I had some chicks of similar breeds at two weeks old Mama took them to the roosts. They had to fly up two feet to the top of my nests, then fly up another two feet and over three feet to get to the roosts. I was lucky enough to be there to watch them do it, it was obvious they could have gone a lot further if they wanted to. The problem is not that your seven week old chicks cannot fly up to pretty high roosts, it’s just that they don’t want to. I have had some probably about 5 to 6 weeks old fly up to 4 feet high roosts during the day to perch and play, but they slept on the coop floor in a group until they were about 10 to 12 weeks old. At seven weeks of age you can put the roosts in their final position. They can reach them if they want to. Remember the roosts need to be higher than the nests to encourage then to not sleep in the nests.

Four chicks seven weeks old in a 6x8 coop are not going to get bored. That is a lot of room. I can’t open that photo to see what the coop looks like but it still won’t hurt to add things for them to hop up on or hide behind or under. If they have had grit, hanging a head of cabbage or lettuce will give them something to play with, food is always good to give them something to do. Maybe toss something like scratch on the coop floor so they can scratch around looking for it. I’d leave the pop door to the run open too if your run is finished. They may not go out in the run at all for quite a while or they may start spending all day out there. I don’t know what the weather is like in west Texas right now but they are old enough to handle it. Just make sure they go back in the coop at night.

 

[Eryniel]

Also make sure your run is not just an open 2-dimensional spot, put up some roosts in the run too, add a pallet on saw horses or up on bricks, so that birds can get under it and on top of it. Gives a bit of shade in the summer, give a place to bask in the sun in winter. Little mini walls, allow birds a time out away from the other birds. These keep birds healthier and happier. The area will look more cluttered, but it gives more interest and space to the birds.

ps - I am just guessing as I cannot open your pictures

Hmmm... I actually have some bricks and wood in my backyard that I think I can use to make something like that!

And lets see if my photo's work this time. https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/albums/my-coop.7428094/

 

[Eryniel]

Four chicks seven weeks old in a 6x8 coop are not going to get bored. That is a lot of room. I can’t open that photo to see what the coop looks like but it still won’t hurt to add things for them to hop up on or hide behind or under. If they have had grit, hanging a head of cabbage or lettuce will give them something to play with, food is always good to give them something to do. Maybe toss something like scratch on the coop floor so they can scratch around looking for it. I’d leave the pop door to the run open too if your run is finished. They may not go out in the run at all for quite a while or they may start spending all day out there. I don’t know what the weather is like in west Texas right now but they are old enough to handle it. Just make sure they go back in the coop at night.

I'm still working on my run, but I'm planning on having it wrap around the back of my shed (if you can finally see the picture above) and I'll definitely be using your suggestions! Thank you.
And the weather here is cool, but not bad. Last 2 weeks it got below freezing, but this week its in the 40's to 60's.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think wrapping around the shed is a good idea. And I would plan to make the shed a coop. It would make a very nice one. Really what you have there is a run. A coop or at least a coop up north here, is a building that protects the birds from elements. Different climates need different things.