Not sure but toys?????????

[Sc00ter4900]

Somewhere I read that chickens need toys so i was wondering what kind of toys do you make or buy for chickens? I have an old mirror im going to put out in there pen. If any one has some ideas please let me know. Thanks Scotty

 

[faykokoWV]

great question, I'm curious too!

I've heard of people hanging a cabbage head where they have to jump to get it and I've also heard of people giving the cat balls with the bells in them for chicks. I'll be interested to hear what other toys are good for preventing chicken boredom.

 

[davidr]

Once in a while I throw in a couple of practice gold balls, (the ones with the holes in it).

They pick them up and run around with them, until they figure out they can't eat it.

I don't know if they have "fun" but it makes me laugh.

I've heard of hanging a cabbage head, I would like to ty that too.

David

 

[Chicken Ninja]

Usually anything chickens find "fun" revolves around food. They just love treats. I'm not sure if they like playing with things that they can't eat

If you want your chickens to have fun, then give them treats every once in a while. Mix it up: do different treats every time. Mine are happy and alot of it has to do with food

 

[NGT ANGL]

I get a pitchfork or two of leaves from the woods and my chickens have a ball scratching through them looking for bugs. depending on the size of the fork-full, it will keep them busy for quite awhile! They are pretty food driven! Maybe someone else could make a comment about this but I don't know how well the mirror would be - I used to know someone who had fighting cocks (I DO NOT advocate this but the person had them years before I knew them) and he used mirrors to practice fight his cocks so I guess it is possible that it could make the chickens - especially roos - aggressive...

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I get clumps of grass with a dirt clod on the roots, plastic cat balls with the bells in them and sometimes the parrot sticks with all the seeds on them. My birds are raised on natural foods so those are nice treats that they can pick at. Purina makes a big Flock Block that I try to get chunks off of for them to peck at as well.

 

[Sc00ter4900]

Thanks every one . I have a parot and he likes toys just wasnt sure what a chicken would like . Food base toys or games sounds like the choice. I like the leaf and grass idea too. The bell balls sounds like it would be fun to watch. Thanks for the ideas. This forum is the best so far for info

Thanks again Scotty

 

[Wateredgarden11]

We have a mirror in our run along with various perches. I also hang broccoli, or cabbage in their run and they enjoy pecking at that..think tether ball time. Last week I took them some greens on a tin pie plate..Wow..for the rest of the afternoon after they finished eating the greens..all we heard was bang bang bang..the chickens were kicking the tin pie plate all over the run..lol Too funny!

 

[Eggs-Actly]

We do a couple of things to "mix it up" on 'em. The first one is treats. They get treats every day. From weeds I pull out of the gardens while out with the dogs to frozen watermelon for those hot days (which is like every day down here now in FLA - at least until the end of October) to yogurt (cause I'm low on oyster shells right now) to kitchen scraps. It's gotten so that every time I go out and I don't have any treats they all give a collective sigh and walk away.

The other thing I just started to do was actually discovered by accident. One Saturday morning after several rains the run was stinky from mud and CP (Chicken Poop) with too many flies around I decided to turn the dirt and sand over - kinda like till it but not that much work.

Well, let me tell ya'll something - they went bonkers for the bugs and the little dirt mounds. A little hesitant at first but then - watch out! They were happy for 2 days! I think I'll make that a Saturday chore - after all it's only a 12 x 8 run. I'm not sure who had more fun; them scratching thru it all or me watching 'em! Lots of laughs.

 

[Sc00ter4900]

Hey thanks for the great ideas. Im going to try all of them as soon as I finish there coop. There flying on to the dining room table and the wife Doesn't have a sence of humor about it at all LOL. Going to finish it this weekend I hope

Thanks for the replys

Scotty