Why do they hate my run??? Help

[chirpchirpchirp]

That is a good idea so nothing blows away.

 

[Solsken Farm]

I read somewhere (probably here) to hang like a head of cabbage for them.

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

before we let ours out in the entire yard (1/4 acre) we would dump the grass clippings in the run. they love that! we would rake it into a pile for them and they would spread it out like a carpet in the run, then we would rake it up again. next time we mowed we would take all the old stuff out and put it in the compost pile and add fresh clippings. now they have the whole back yard as their own but still are in the run napping in the sun and spend lots of time in there even when their gate is open. Lucky chickens soon will have a 4 foot tall waterfall with a pond at the bottom
IN THEIR RUN!!! (DH spoils them)

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We have wire over the top of the run, but it has a cover over the end next to the coop. That gives the girls a nice dry place to hang out if it's raining hard. We also don't need to shovel that end, just so they can get out of the coop in winter.

That's the area that ended up as dirt, since I don't water it, either. We have a lot of clay here. When the big snow drifts melted last spring, it got really muddy, so we put sand in. It really made it nice.

The girls have a big dustbath out in the yard, with sand, some fine dirt and a little DE. Their run dustbath is one of those large black rubber bowls, that we originally used for our sheep. When they aren't dusting or lounging in it, they like to perch on the edge. I think it's comfy for their feet. It's filled with mostly sand, although we also add some DE. They also like to just scratch around in it, like in the rest of the sand. When it's rainy, the yard dustbath gets too wet, but the run dustbath is under cover, so stays dry for them.

 

[rubysmom]

Gopherboy, great idea about the grass clippings. We've got plenty of those around. Do they actually nibble on them or just play with them?

Love the waterfall idea(my husband will be happy to hear that there's somebody out there whose crazier about chickens than I am)

Keep up the excellent work out there!

I also tried the cabbage thing but not one of my chickens would go anywhere near it? It hung there for days? Spoiled rotten maybe?

Thanks everybody for all the great ideas.

 

[JennsPeeps]

re: Cabbage - guess they have to get used to a head of cabbage first. Have you given them shredded cabbage before? My girls had their first grapes last night & LOVED them.

re: grass clippings...
1 - make sure there are no chemicals used on the lawn
2 - my girls eat fresh clippings but now that the cliipings are dried out, they scratch through them to find bugs.

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

we dont use any chmicals around here so that isnt a problem. I dont know if they eat any of the clippings, I am sure they do. But it is fun just to watch them play in it. Sometimes when I am picking weeds from the garden I fill a bucket with weeds and dump that in the run too. Those they do eat...and love to toss them around. (my girls dont really go after cabbage or lettuce much)

 

[rubysmom]

My don't seem to care for cabbage of any kind?

Jennspeeps: Does your cat go after your chickens? I have been kind of hesistant to let them roam around together. My cat can be a little feisty.

 

[Solsken Farm]

I give mine some shredded cabbage with carrots, peas and whatever else we have. True, they don't love it but they do eat it.

I think everyone's ideas about grass clippings and other things for them to forage in sounds like a good bet. Of course with a quarter acres, you probably don't have tons....

Can you put up a pic of your run?

 

[JennsPeeps]

Quote:
My cats are 10 & 11 so not too apt to do anything. They like watching the chickens, but that's about it. They've been pecked enough times to keep a fair distance. The worst that happened was the time Mira loudly meowed right in the black star's face and startled her.

Some of my fav pics:
Rudy watching the chicks in the kitchen:

Rudy & Tribble sharing my lap:

Mira watching the girls take their first dust bath: