[shellroberts]

Hi all,

My girls are free roaming but I want to add a little something to their day...

They have kindly dug their own dust bath but I wanna make them a dust bath to hopefully save my plants! I've read to use the following to make a bath for them; builders sand, wood ash, soil & diatomaceous earth - would this be what you guys use/do?
Was thinking of making some sort of sitting perch/swing, put up a mirror, a bale of straw, hang some treats in a mesh box of some sort (all off Google/pinterest) any other ideas of what I can give my girls.

I've got the next 4 days off work, planning to spend most of the time tiding up the garden but also to make a little area specially dedicated to them "chicken play zone".

Thanks
Michelle

[nerdle]

Lovely idea - will watch the responses!
Mine love ascending a gentle slope to perch on an old wooden garden chair to 'preen with a view'.  I made a low level poly tunnel for them as well - to always have a dry zone for dustbathing.

[Sassy]

All great ideas. Mine loved sitting all lined up on a tree branch lying in their area - great photo opportunity. Some folk hang up cabbages etc for them to peck at, you would be ammazed how they will jump to get food just out of reach! 

[Snoop]

Google for Fowl Play Products and the Chicken Swing. Someone mentioned the swing on a thread a while back. I'd post a link except that I want to say I bet you could fabricate something quite easily and I don't suppose they'd appreciate someone like me suggesting that you reverse engineer their products!

[shellroberts]

Hi all,

I've got them a bale of straw which they went mad for, made a swing out of an old branch but I've not seem them us it, or the mirror! lol still need to build a new bust bath (a job for this weekend) to save my roses! I've made them a treat feeding area too, so they get some extra nice goodies in their "play zone".

It was crazy how nuts they went over the straw tho! And they LOVE pomegranate but not the hanging cabbage

[Sassy]

Sometimes it takes them a while to get used to new things! For your dust bath you could try a baby bath or similar, easy to clean. Can get them on Freecycle for nothing 

[nerdle]

My girls had a treat this week when I scraped up last year's rotten (leaves which had mostly composted) off the road and threw it down for them.  Loose anD loamy and full of goodies to eat - you could see the excitement!

[joyfull]

You can also use an old lorry or tractor tyre to use for your dust bathing area - however I tried that and they still made their own dust baths elsewhere