what to put in run for chickens to perch or play on?

[fireguy56]

Hi, Here is what I did for exercise/entertainment(mor for us than them).

 

[mommissan]

See saw

 

[Runt Of The Litter]

Quote:
it wont be grass for long

itll just be a big rectangle of soil when they get their claws into it,ours has to be regulary moved about as henny loves her digging and insect hunting.

woud say to avoid overloading the run but make use of the head space if there is enough height,construct some roosting bars where they woud be able to jump up to,there are also some swings that others in this thread have posted photos of-woud be fun and useful for them.
chucks prefer to have floor space to be able to do their thing in as a crowded feel will cause more squabbles within the group,a long/wide run is always a good thing if they were going to be very limited on free ranging though.

good to see a fellow cheshire resident on BYC.

loving some of the ideas on this thread,fireguys run is amazing-its like a 'go-ape center' but for chickens, woud love to have something like that when move into new place.

 

[Hopefulloflove]

Ok, this may sound like a silly question, but I would love to see a close up of that see saw and how he put it together....please ?

 

[sharol]

Everybody's stuff looks better than mine. I got a couple of wooden sawhorses at an auction last summer and hung shade cloth between them. It gave them shade, and they like to perch on the sawhorses now that it is cooler. They also like the 2' stepladder I use to reach the latches on the windows.

 

[chickchicks]

Quote:
it wont be grass for long

itll just be a big rectangle of soil when they get their claws into it,ours has to be regulary moved about as henny loves her digging and insect hunting.

woud say to avoid overloading the run but make use of the head space if there is enough height,construct some roosting bars where they woud be able to jump up to,there are also some swings that others in this thread have posted photos of-woud be fun and useful for them.
chucks prefer to have floor space to be able to do their thing in as a crowded feel will cause more squabbles within the group,a long/wide run is always a good thing if they were going to be very limited on free ranging though.

good to see a fellow cheshire resident on BYC.

loving some of the ideas on this thread,fireguys run is amazing-its like a 'go-ape center' but for chickens, woud love to have something like that when move into new place.

thank you . i was seeing all these amazing runs and was thinking omg mine is going to be nothing like that !
the grass isgoing togo eventually with my girls i know its just there at the moment and it will keep them occupied for now !

how would you go about levels as my birds ar mainly BO they don like hight . im trying to teach them to roos as they never did with the previous owner and they hate me for it !!! they cry everynight , they just have to get used to it . im proud of them for trying

they get the run of thegarden when im home and all weeked they love it !

 

[chfite]

As the final construction of the coop and run was done on the fly, something went awry. I put the pop door at the wrong end of the face of the coop. Where it was, the entry door to the run would hit the ramp when it was installed.

I just slapped a board along the front of the coop in the manner of a porch, so that the ramp could go on the other end of the porch. The chickens spend a lot of time just hanging out on the porch, as it were. Porch chickens.

Chris

 

[SteveBaz]

Sand box a must

Brooder Box Perches is a must

Free Standing Perch

Stuff to stand on for sure. Big Girls

Just a 2X4 with triangle ends to hold it up

Stripped of all leaves and good perches left to run around on

Saw Horse Brackets cut to 15" X 30" for them to jump on and perch.

Good luck

Steve

 

[gale65]

That dust bath-I was thinking of doing a dust bath but I thought it would have to be large enough for several chickens? Is a small dust bath like that good enough? If so I will get a large kitty litter box and make one. I have lots of wood ash for it already.

 

[Pharm Girl]

I'm on board with the saw horse idea. Bought two short ones at a yard sale for $5. I'm in the process of painting them poop brown though, since that is what they will end up covered in anyway. They will be outside in the weather, so I figured a good coating of exterior house paint would make them last longer. I had to get short ones, so they can't use them to fly over the fences! I know they will love hanging out on them, especially in winter when the ground is so cold. I might have to make a ramp up to one of them for my handicapped rooster Nando. Not sure he can fly that high.

I also have a varied assortment of stepping stones (though more for me!) and plants. The chickens love to hide under the bushes and walk across the top of them, which is rather funny when they fall in a hole. Now won't those saw horses be just the thing for this space?

You previous posters are all so creative! A see saw? A swing? A ladder to nowhere? Love it!