Toys to keep chickens entertained?

[Snadger]

Hens like Snail Football....

My neighbour has chickens on his allotment, and we like to throw handfuls of snails up on the netting roof ... the hens go mental trying to jump for the snails, which gradually fall through the net one by one.
It's the funniest thing to watch a hen dashing round the coop with a snail stuck on her beak, pursued by half a dozen other greedy hens ...

Better with small tomatoes............ it's like red nose day all over again!

[Hilary B]

I wouldn't buy 'toys' as such, but unusual perches (half-a-tyre, set up like a bridge, and other oddities that can be perched on) seem to amuse, and it might be fun to improvise something that only provides food when they master the 'game' (equivalent to those treat-delivering balls for dogs, that they have to roll around the floor until the treats find the way out). Be careful with mirrors. A great lark, but breakage is not impossible.....

[T-lady]

Hi all - great ideas although some of them aren't doable with the Eglu. I love it to pieces but, because it's very low in height, I can't include perches, tyres or even a kids digger truck (you've got lovely kids Lynda, what a nice donation to the chooks!)

I'll have a go with the CD's (they'll do as unbreakable mirrors) and the dog treat ball.

Have I got the only chickens in the UK that don't like cabbage or tomatoes???
(although they went wild for the sweetcorn when we had the fresh cobs - I'm gonna grow LOADS next year and freeze them for winter treats)

[lynda66]

Hi all - great ideas although some of them aren't doable with the Eglu. I love it to pieces but, because it's very low in height, I can't include perches, tyres or even a kids digger truck (you've got lovely kids Lynda, what a nice donation to the chooks!)

it was di's kids that donated ..... mine would have nicked the toys off them

[T-lady]

it was di's kids that donated ..... mine would have nicked the toys off them

Nice! I love kids like that - they can keep you in all sorts of goodies when you're older!

[Sue]

Try giving them millet (as supplied to budgies) - very cheap to buy a few bits at the pet shop. Hang it up for them to peck at, keeps them busy for ages.
At this time of year, I put trugfulls of fallen leaves in their run which leads to lots of kicking about - little slugs and insects in there. (And I get nice mashed up leaves for my compost heap!)

And after noticing that when I hung up one of my home-grown cabbages with roots attached they were far more interested in the earthy end than the leaves, I gave them a great big rooty mass that had been dug up. lots of earth and roots to go through, all three of them were having a go at that as I left today.

But my favourite distraction (at least from my view as audience) is to cut short clumps of grass to fill a trug, mix in your slug and snail catch of the day + woodlice and any other nasties including slug egg caviar, few bits of grain and fruit and put it in the run on its side. They have an amazing time scratching through it all and v amusing to see three hen squeezed in a trug!

Sue

[Bephlam]

That sounds horrible Sue, but I bet the girls would LOVE it. I might give it a go!!! lol

[lynda66]

Try giving them millet (as supplied to budgies)

Sue

that's the stuff i couldn't think of the name of ...... damn my brain lol

i'm currently saving all the slugs and snails i find in a big tub with a lid on, a couple of bricks and a bit of soil ...... and i'm even being kind and feeding them ...... just so i can fatten them up and feed them to the chooks when they eventually arrive ...... might as well make some use of them

[Snadger]

I wouldn't buy 'toys' as such, but unusual perches (half-a-tyre, set up like a bridge, and other oddities that can be perched on) seem to amuse, and it might be fun to improvise something that only provides food when they master the 'game' (equivalent to those treat-delivering balls for dogs, that they have to roll around the floor until the treats find the way out). Be careful with mirrors. A great lark, but breakage is not impossible.....

The mirrors in mine are toughened glass so shouldn't be a problem. They blew over where I had them stashed onto a metal spike and still didn't break!

Like the tyre idea................ a tyre swing-come-roost sounds good.........with a weather vane on it to swing it round!

[aud]

My neighbours and friends refer to me as a little bit daft when it comes to toys for the birds. I have a little place where they can perch outside, An old wooden bench and a few other perchy items. which they love, they all perch in the morning in a little line. I Loads of bits of wood for them to peck around. The ducks have a football, which tends to freak the chickens out.
now and then i take a trip into the woods and gather up rotten logs for them, They all launch onto it to get all the critters inside. Also there is a small wood pile in there which gets moved once a week. which again gives them a chance to dig araound.
even if you have a small hutch, bits of rotton logs works wonders.

[Snadger]

.........................they all perch in the morning in a little line...............

Mine do as well.........it makes it dead easy to do a head count to make sure mister fox aint been about!

[di]

Liking the idea of a log pile Aud!Looks like a trip to the woods at the weekend.

[lainey lou]

Mine love their mirror and also have one of these which they love and is great fun!

http://shopping.msn.co.uk/prices/foo...rdata=12170138

We hang it from a low branch and they have to jump up to get the goodies!

[frias]

When I first got mine I put a football in the run as suggested by Hugh Whatshisname. They didn't play with it though. Don't think anyone wanted to go in goal.

[Suechooks]

Put their greens etc in wire hanging baskets suspended from top of the run with logs or tyres under to jump on. Bales of straw also provide entertainment as well as shelter and perching space in the run - preferably in a covered area.