Need chicken environment enrichment

[Klynne]

Help. My 3 leghorns have buzzed through all their grass in their large coop and run. The entire run is bare now, with the exception of a huge shrub they lay under during the day. They must be bored! What can I put in their run to keep them amused?

I give my chickens flock block from tractor supply (or you can diy) and it lasts them a couple weeks. I also have different things in the coop, like a mirror, a wooden ladder, old chicken coop inside the run that they like to play with, and I’ve also recently taken shelf brackets and installed left over wood on top. They love the extra places to hop up on.

 

[sfulbrig]

Anything to hop on, hide under, or play with! Some people will do pallets leaned against the walls, and old step stool, or a tree stump. Have some dusty spots for dust baths as well! Hanging a suet feeder with treats in it so that it's just out of reach could be fun as well.

I also made a swing out of a small log and rope. They love it.

 

[sfulbrig]

You want string that they can't eat any of, or break through with intense pecking. Probably depends on how strong the fishing line is.

I bought lightweight chain at the hardware store to hang my suet feeder. With a clip I can clip it up out of the way when empty. Great for corn on the cob or sliced apples.

 

[CassieD]

They love different heights. I cut some branches and lashed them to a couple of heavy plastic sawhorses. They aren’t pretty but my girls really like them. Especially after a lot if rain when the run gets sloppy

 

[Ltvo]

Help. My 3 leghorns have buzzed through all their grass in their large coop and run. The entire run is bare now, with the exception of a huge shrub they lay under during the day. They must be bored! What can I put in their run to keep them amused?

After shooting my aggressive roo (one too many human attacks) we built a 16x16 run with a 6x6 bump out “sunroom” that attaches via a “chute” to the 10x8 “coop” shed!. Spoiled rotten

I say all this because for 1 yr they free ranged but I felt after their protector was culled they couldn’t safely continue to free range. Knowing they would be bored I bought and made things to try to keep them active while contained.

Some I got from the thrift store (mirrors, abacus, twirling things) and others from my yard/house (Shepard’s hook, tires for bathing stations, scrap wood and hardware cloth for a grazing box, etc)

I hang fresh greens/scraps from a heavy duty clamp from one Shepard’s hook and then butternut squash from the other. The white trough is long enough for treats and regular food and all 8 birds easily...we just rescued 4 4 mos old hens from a city family who didn’t realize the demands of chicken keeping so we put their coop and added a large dog cage to it for added room while we integrate the two flocks. The dog cage will become a chicken jail should we need one for mean/injured girls to take a break.

Also, I put in 5 ton of sand in the run and absolutely LOVE it...easy clean up with a pitchfork tied with hardware cloth and zip ties and absolutely ZERO smell. Also dries quickly if rain comes in.

I know I digressed a bit bragging about the new digs when I only wanted to respond to how to cheaply entertain pent up birds. Did I mention my girls are SPOILED?!

 

[Ltvo]

Forgot to add some pics

 

[Backyardchickengirl]

They love different heights. I cut some branches and lashed them to a couple of heavy plastic sawhorses. They aren’t pretty but my girls really like them. Especially after a lot if rain when the run gets sloppyView attachment 2251216

I ❤ the sawhorses! So versatile! Thank you.

 

[Backyardchickengirl]

I give my chickens flock block from tractor supply (or you can diy) and it lasts them a couple weeks. I also have different things in the coop, like a mirror, a wooden ladder, old chicken coop inside the run that they like to play with, and I’ve also recently taken shelf brackets and installed left over wood on top. They love the extra places to hop up on.

What is "flock block"?

 

[aart]

What is "flock block"?

Junk food

 

[rosemarythyme]

What is "flock block"?

It's a block of seeds and stuff all stuck together with molasses, meant as a treat and boredom buster. I buy them on rare occasion if there's a spell of bad weather like prolonged snow but I generally don't like using food as entertainment.