Toys to keep chickens entertained?

[eVILv]

Still think if chooks had a choice they would be outdoors!

We kept our birds outdoors for three years before we had the series of attacks and they were fine until then. We had 35 layers and 15 meat birds on the go the whole of that time, the fat chickens of course were cycled into the freezer and new ones brought on from day old chicks. It was a great system with the eaters out and about until five months old along with the layers.

However, after six attacks which left us with mauled, stamped on, crushed and still alive birds, all done at night by nocturnal maniacs, we had two choices: keep no birds and give up on a really nice and productive part of the allotment, or keep a small number in a large airy and bright shed which is situated in a part of the garden that can't be overlooked and seems from the outside to be abandoned. That's what we did and they are very contented.

And - they don't actually want to go outside and don't take any opportunity they are given to go outside. I leave the door open when I am feeding, watering, collecting eggs and cleaning out. The experience is that only two of them ever go outside at these times and they don't venture more than two feet from the door, rushing in at any strange happening like noise, or wind, or if they think something is happening inside to do with titbits or insects being dug up in the litter.

I'm satisfied that their welfare is excellent: from the six hens (now a year old) we have half a dozen eggs a day on four days out of the seven in a week and five on the other three. Some weeks, we only drop to five eggs on two days. It will be interesting to see how the very short days affect their productivity, but so far so good. They are in prime condition, never fight or pick on each other and are manifestly friendly to us and contented.

[Hashette]

My ex-bats who we've had since mid-October went outside for the first time a week ago and you'd think they'd been doing it all their lives. They pop back in for a top up of growers' mash every so often, and put themselves away at night.

Hubby's was off sick last week, so they've been free-ranging ever since, but today we're both back at work, and it's going to be a bit of a shock to the system for them. The earliest we could get home is about 6pm, and that's pushing it, so presumably we'd better put safety ahead of contented chooks and leave them shut in the run?

[Nicos]

I wonder if a chooks main hobby would be listed as sratching in the ground and having a dust bath????

I' threw a pile of damp leaves in with mine so they could scratch around looking for little beasties crawling around. They're free- and plenty about!!!

[aud]

i was thinking about getting my birds one of those play tunnels kids use, because their run is a pond today and very very muddy. Or maybe each could have a giant hamsters ball.
at least they could float. lol.

and i never thought about leaf mould i may throw some in tommorow.

hugs xx

[Snadger]

We kept our birds outdoors for three years before we had the series of attacks and they were fine until then. We had 35 layers and 15 meat birds on the go the whole of that time, the fat chickens of course were cycled into the freezer and new ones brought on from day old chicks. It was a great system with the eaters out and about until five months old along with the layers.

However, after six attacks which left us with mauled, stamped on, crushed and still alive birds, all done at night by nocturnal maniacs, we had two choices: keep no birds and give up on a really nice and productive part of the allotment, or keep a small number in a large airy and bright shed which is situated in a part of the garden that can't be overlooked and seems from the outside to be abandoned. That's what we did and they are very contented.

And - they don't actually want to go outside and don't take any opportunity they are given to go outside. I leave the door open when I am feeding, watering, collecting eggs and cleaning out. The experience is that only two of them ever go outside at these times and they don't venture more than two feet from the door, rushing in at any strange happening like noise, or wind, or if they think something is happening inside to do with titbits or insects being dug up in the litter.

I'm satisfied that their welfare is excellent: from the six hens (now a year old) we have half a dozen eggs a day on four days out of the seven in a week and five on the other three. Some weeks, we only drop to five eggs on two days. It will be interesting to see how the very short days affect their productivity, but so far so good. They are in prime condition, never fight or pick on each other and are manifestly friendly to us and contented.

I don't want to sound judgemental here but what you are producing is 'Barn eggs' which is better than battery eggs.

[Hilary B]

I don't want to sound judgemental here but what you are producing is 'Barn eggs' which is better than battery eggs.

COMMERCIAL 'Barn Eggs' are very little better than battery eggs. 'Garden scale barn eggs' are rather a different matter.
If 'outside' is just not safe thereabouts, the choice is 'indoor' chooks, or NO chooks. Plenty of space, plenty of fresh food, and plenty of natural daylight, makes a big difference from the true 'barn egg' system, where space is limited, the light is entirely artificial, the food is exclusively 'mash' or pellets, and there are no nestboxes (eggs are laid in the litter on the floor).

[di]

i was thinking about getting my birds one of those play tunnels kids use, because their run is a pond today and very very muddy. Or maybe each could have a giant hamsters ball.
at least they could float. lol.

and i never thought about leaf mould i may throw some in tommorow.

hugs xx

Our kiddies have got one of those at the lottie.....when we let the chooks out of their run they're absolutely terrified of it!!(tunnel not giant hamster ball!!)

[Snadger]

COMMERCIAL 'Barn Eggs' are very little better than battery eggs. 'Garden scale barn eggs' are rather a different matter.
If 'outside' is just not safe thereabouts, the choice is 'indoor' chooks, or NO chooks. Plenty of space, plenty of fresh food, and plenty of natural daylight, makes a big difference from the true 'barn egg' system, where space is limited, the light is entirely artificial, the food is exclusively 'mash' or pellets, and there are no nestboxes (eggs are laid in the litter on the floor).

Methinks we'll have to agree to disagree on this one Hilary!

My chook house has two large windows so is very light inside but if I couldn't let my chooks outdoors I woudn't have any! End of story as far as I am concerned. I didn't rescue them to keep them inside all the time.

This is my own personal view, and I still don't think I'm being judgemental, but I am on the verge of reporting a chook keeper who does this close by on a deep bed system which stinks with only one tiny window one foot square in the shed.
I would do an animal liberation stunt but they would probably just finish up as fox food then!

[Hilary B]

Methinks we'll have to agree to disagree on this one Hilary!

My chook house has two large windows so is very light inside but if I couldn't let my chooks outdoors I woudn't have any! End of story as far as I am concerned. I didn't rescue them to keep them inside all the time.

This is my own personal view, and I still don't think I'm being judgemental, but I am on the verge of reporting a chook keeper who does this close by on a deep bed system which stinks with only one tiny window one foot square in the shed.
I would do an animal liberation stunt but they would probably just finish up as fox food then!

I wouldn't say that it was ideal for them to never get out, but one can make it 'not too bad' if really trying to do the best. I must admit that if I was planning on chickens at the allotment, and there were unresolved problems of vandal attacks on them, I simply wouldn't keep them there for that reason. If it isn't safe, it isn't safe.
Sounds like the one near you IS using a quasi commercial set-up, and I wouldn't accept that either. They might be better off as fox food than in that shed, at least they would have a taste of freedom first!

[Hashette]

Having booked a few days off work, our girls have been free ranging since Thursday. As we're back to work tomorrow, it means they'll be in the run for three days on the trot from Wednesday to Friday.

Thank you so much for the mirror suggestion - I've just put them in and closed up the run for the night, and put the mirror in there. At the moment all four of them are lined up in front of it craning their necks at angles Max Wall would have been proud of, and even little bottom-of-the-pecking-order Tottie was seen to be having a crafty peck!

[T-lady]

Hashette that is SO cute! My ladies don't seem to have paid any attention to the hanging CD, the apple-on-a-string or the 1/2 coconut shell fat ball thing that the bloke in the pet shop thought would be perfect.

I wonder if they think these childish toys are beneath them and they'd much prefer a game of monopoly, a little light reading and perhaps a civilised game of cribbage?

[dozey1]

Well done snadger, if you are going to keep chickens, then they are a commitment. it doesn't take much work and the rewards are so beneficial. I clean my shed of their poo everyday and clean them out every week. They love some spaghettis hanging over their log in the morning sometimes. I just love them and i am going to rescue some more in spring...

[T-lady]

Breaking news - they've eaten the apple. I'm SO chuffed that I put another one in this morning!

Is it OK to keep feeding chickens apples???

[Hashette]

Mine won't touch apples even if I hang them up. I even tried taking a bite out of one and making "yum" noises, then hanging that one up. Four beaks were turned up in unison, and then sounds of sniggering came from the other side of the fence

On the other hand, this morning's breakfast of left over rice with mixed in tuna was met with a flurry of pushing and shoving, then once everyone had pecking room there was total and utter reverential silence!

[4chickens]

My chickens aren't kept in their run often - only when I'm away over night. I realise it may seem a bit cruel but I put in a couple of frozen corn on the cobs. They go daft to eat it, then realise they can't and return to it frequently to see if it is edible. It seems to keep them busy (entertained doesn't convey the level of frustration they experience) for the day. Feel a bit guilty sometimes but it isn't often and they certainly aren't bored. I do give them tinned corn other times and non frozen cobs so I'm not really mean.