[ness]

Hi
After a bit of "discussion"  :? my oh and me have come to an agreement.  My chooks will stay at the back of the garden with in their run plus a bit of garden, most of the day, they will be allowed in the rest of the garden late afternoon for their corn and treats.  
My question is how can I make their smaller area interesting.  It hasn't got grass, just bark chippings and gravel.  I want them to forage as they do when they are let out on the grass instead of sitting there looking peed off as they did today   . (I didn't know chooks could show so many emotions   )
Any suggestions gratefully received.
Ness x

[richyrich7]

How about a few logs, branches for them to hop onto dig about etc, hang a cabbage or similar up from some string they spend hours pecking at it, then change it about after a week or so

[Selkie]

i would totally agree with having logs -- we have 5 or 6 big pieces of driftwood in our hens' run and every so often i move them about so the girls can pick off all the woodlice,slugs,centipedes etc that have found homes there; it keeps them amused for ages. (they're full of large sea-worm holes so woodlice etc crawl in and then the hens pick them out - it's a bit gross but keeps them happy)

could you put in some autumn leaves too to give them something else to scrat about in? ours like rummaging through them.

oh and a dust bath too -- i guess in a litter tray or something seeing as how they won't have access to bare earth.

can't think of anything else off the top of my head...

[chickychick]

I put a piece of fence in the run propped up on stakes to make a sort of half shelter they can jump on top of it and pick spiders out of the cracks and shelter under when it rains, I also have long pieces of branch propped up diagnaly for them to get on to and pick at.

I dig the run a bit once a week so they can dig about in the new earth, sometimes a dig a hole and just leave it and they jump in and out and poke it around.  

I put in a pile of leaves for them today to chuck about.

I know what you mean they look so fed up when they have found out how much fun they can have getting the run of the garden.  I have a playpen made of fireguards and netting that I move around the garden every week, they are so used to going into it now that they practically hurl themselves at the fence of their run to get out when they see me.

[Aunt Sally]

A log pile makes a great hunting ground for bugs.  Anything which can creat nooks and crannies for woodlice and spiders.  Digging space and a good dust bath area.

[lucyeff]

I'm glad I found this thread, our chickens even look peed off in the garden as if they're bored (seeing as they've wrecked it now, lol!), so they stand outside the kitchen door as if coming in the house would solve their boredom... :roll:

Logs sound a great idea, that's my task for today - chickens playground!   Then we can at least keep them in the run for a while and have our garden back. Just letting them out for corn on an afternoon sounds like a fab idea, too - we need to regain some sort of control before they take over the whole house!!!  :shock:

[Aunt Sally]

In the summer my [two] girls freerange around my small garden most of the day.  Things are growing fast, there's lots of bugs, lots of grass, and I have the flower boarder netted off.  They have a big shrub boarder to dig in.  In the winter, however, I only allow them an hour or two in the garden - grass can be turned into bare mud quite quickly  

[tallulah]

If I keep my girls in their run, they get lettuces and greens eg cabbage, kale, etc strung up and hanging.  The odd sprinkle of sunflower seeds goes down well too.  They love it.  Also, as others have mentioned, lots of old cut-off branches and logs for them to perch on and peck at.  Dust bath area is essential.  However, my girls are so used to free ranging in the garden that they seem to decline into a real depression when I keep them in the run.  They also have the knack of sending out 'guilt vibes', which can travel any distance with the same debilitating effect!

[muntjac]

low hanging seed feeders for wild birds can be used hang millet fronds from them  

[Aunt Sally]

Ooo yes - my chooks love a millet spray hung up  

[muntjac]

try growing ur own anty its loads cheaper ,, game seed stores will have the seed for ya ...

[Aunt Sally]

try growing ur own anty its loads cheaper ,, game seed stores will have the seed for ya ...

Sounds like fun Munty.  How d'you do it  :?:

[muntjac]

same as you grow anything lol sow the seed sit back n wait .cut n feed  

[Aunt Sally]

Not tropical then  :?:

[muntjac]

you get different sorts of millet anty .search  "cover crops for shooting " this will give you some options of treats for ur girls

 " werks for me"