Our chickens are 2 -3 weeks old what kind of toys can we put in w/them

[MsMoss]

Right now my dad has them in a huge filing drawer, and once they get a little bit bigger, and once this nasty rainy muddy flooding weather we are having clears up we'll start letting them outside for entertainment, watched carefully of course.

but right now I am interested in what kind of toys we could make like a hanging feeder ball to shake things up an make their time in their environment more interesting, an help with boredom.


And could they have live bugs at this age? I thought it might be funny to put a live cricket from a bait store in there an watch them go ape over it. they also love to peck an eat grass and now and then my dad puts nice clean clumps of grass pulled up complete with roots in there, and maaaaaaaaaaaaan if you don't think that causes a funny stir, they all flock to it, and pick at it, and one found a worm, and oh boy the fight for the one who got to keep the warm caused a really funny "capture the flag" chase. he only lets them have it for a few seconds though, we're not sure if it's ok for them yet at 2 to 3 weeks old.

Also it's always bright in there cause they're at the stage where they still need the light bulb warmth, does the constant " day light" bother them? do they need some dark down time? We could put a little box in there for them on it's side if they do need some "dark down time" and they wouldn't eat the box.


Thank you so much, we've had chickens before but it was years ago, and this is so fun and exciting to me I even have my very own my dad bought for me, she's an australorp, while the others are americana's and rode island reds, it's really funny to watch the "cats out of the bag, every one knows somethings up" reaction when you do something as simple as change the paper or lay out of the food in their cage.

 

[CluckyJay]

I am using a clothes pin to clip veggie treats like dandelions, violets and chickweed from their brooder. I have it hanging on a string so they have to jump and really work at getting some. They love it. I also give them a bit of birdseed to scratch around for. I'm using boiled creek sand as grit. They also have lots of perches!

They love pecking at hanging things. Anything red and dangly will get them interested!

 

[MsMoss]

cluckyj , they loved my green finger nails too at first when I would put my hand in there, they'd all come closer an tilt their head this way, and that way, and crain their neck, an pump their necks up an down a lil bit, then be like huh, nothing to see here folks move on.

 

[drumstick diva]

If you are letting them eat grass and bugs they will need grit, if it isn't already in their chick feed. I have heard that young chicks can get impacted crops from the long blades of grass.

As for toys, a mirror is good - they like to keep an eye on the chick in the mirror. Also different things they can climb (and poop) on like a thick piece of branch,
,maybe some container with sand in there if they feel like trying a dust bath - eating some sand will also give them grit. I would think you could get them the millet treats they have for canaries etc., they would probably fight over that also once they see it won't attack them. Depending on how much room they have _ I bet they would get a kick out of toy building blocks(too big to swallow), ramps., a toy ball to push around and chase. I don't know if they could have a suet block - maybe someone else could advise you on that.

You could switch to a red bulb- that makes it easier for them to sleep than a white one. Sounds like you are having a real ball watching chick tv, I wish you could video tape it so we could all enjoy their antics.

 

[MsMoss]

drumstickdiva, thank you, I actually did film some of their antics the first time I found out they were home, our vivtar camera though for some reason won't show new footage we took, so my honey has to tinker with it.


Yes, I sure do love watching "chik tv" The only bummer is, I am often to stiff to get down on the level of their containment, and if I do and stay for very long I pay for it in difficulty getting back up hahaha.


my dad chose white cause it's all we had but I'll suggest red, even if I have to buy it myself, he's kind of set on not buying stuff he don't already have a version of, like white light bulbs lol, he's so stubborn.

 

[MsMoss]

Oh and also, DrumStickDiva, when my dad got them an put the food in a feeder with no dish, they kept wanting to scratch an were wasting tons of their food, so he put it in a terracotta plant base, so they can't do that, but if you give em a chance, boy they do love to scratch, so I was thinking like you said some sand they could scratch in and root about in.


I could really get into this whole thing an custom design area's in their confinement space if it was big enough hahaha. if it was up to me I'd put them in a room that had lots of room available, once they were big enough not to need the comfort of a small space and totally deck that sucker out, like little pits to explore an climb in and out of, and little mazes or something and little sensory exploration area;s and you know how akc performance dogs or what ever have lil courses they have to go through? agility courses but set up for chickens hehe.

given the chance they could come my newest hobby and obsession)

 

[drumstick diva]

Yes, MsMoss - an agility course for chickens - you could set up weave poles, A frame, teeter tawter, tunnel., get them in shape and trained and go on the Jay Leno show- and get a million hits on youtube. BYC could host the chicken agility national tournaments. What fun. Except my enthusiasm is always stronger than my "actually do something' mode.

 

[MsMoss]

Mine too, mine too! We're very alike there.


And two they're not my chickens, they're my dad's, well one is mine, but still the rest are his, he wouldn't be open to me taking over where they were put and making giant pens and stuff lol.


And I could design it and implement it next year, but who knows what I'll be into next year, I may not live here, I may not live in an area that's farm animal zoned, I may, but the novelty of chik tv an them being pets might have worn off.

 

[drumstick diva]

Ms.Moss gee - chickens are so tired of being called "bird brains"- well maybe just silkies. lol. They are anxious to redeem themselves. Maybe someone else will take up the gauntlet. I know there is a BYCer that has used 'clickers' to train chickens to peck certain colors or shapes. And there is a youtube video called, I think, "Phillip fetches" he is a serama and he really does fetch, it's hysterical. Someone also has her chickens model costumes - hmm. maybe a MS.Chicken USA contest in the making.

You can see I spend too much time going thru all the forums on BYC instead of getting any meaningful work done. It's a great escape but I'm starting to think this 'addiction' is compromising everything else in my life. The chicken people are so much fun and usually very upbeat - I need that life every day (hours, minute???)

 

[MsMoss]

The first night my dad got me my chicken my bf called our house* we live in the garage behind my parents house* and when I didn't answer he called my parents house and said are you in there playing with your chicken again, and I said yup!


and he teases me that he can see me becoming the crazy chicken lady. who has 8 chickens living in her house an spends all her time on them an nothing else.


and what's really funny was when I was all ready to say agilitie courses my brain went duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, and I couldn't remember the name of those courses, so I called my bf to ask him, got his voice mail and I said I was on the chicken forrum discussing how I could really deck out their enclosur if I had the ability to, and I was saying I could create sand pits an digging pits and I wanted to say courses for them like dogs have you know what's that word? an then it came to me and I said yes, I remember agility courses thanks, an hung up

an he called me back and was like whaaaaaaaaaa? so I had to explain my train of thought an why I called lol.