[sallylouise]

Hello,
just after a bit of advice and to see what others use in the run for chickens to play with to prevent boredom, I have used a straw bale but that was too messy, they are only getting to free range about 1-2 times    a week at the moment as we are having an extension however they have ample room in their run to run about im and scratch and perch etc . I have bark down and I have a milk crate for them to stand on and there are 2 perches in the run but i want to make it a bit more interesting so I do not get aproblem with hen pecking. I have put cds on string before but they were not too excited about this and I have put home made peck ablocks which are great for short term amusment. I was thinking of putting a couple of footballs    but am a bit stumped as to what else I can put in so any ideas would be appreciated 
thanks
 

[clairebeau]

Mine like baked potatoes! Also corn on the cob.   I just know that someone will now say I will have fat hens by doing this but if I am honest, my warrens have worried me in the past incase they are too thin.  They always lay so I think they must be OK.
Good Luck.  love Claire x

[Aunt Sally]

How many chooks do you have and how big is their run SallyLouise ?

[joyfull]

Hang up a cabbage head for them to stretch up and peck at, do they also have a dust bath in their run?

[sallylouise]

Hi guys thanks for the replies already,
the run is about 4 metres in length and about 2 metres in width and they also have the coop which has a indoors upstairs next box and about another 2 metres squared run, I have 3 chickens, so they have ample room.  I do give them treats but I am looking for more robust things I can entertain them with. which don't get eaten or destroyed. I have just gone and checked on them and they are loving the milk crate.
 

[compostqueen]

I gave mine a plastic chair, straw bales, peck a block type things, cuttle fish bone fixed to the run netting, great lump of cabbage     If you move things about a bit that will help 

[dizzylizzie]

I have all sorts in my runs/garden, i have tyres, buckets, CD's, logs, ramps , sandpits.....
They love the sandpits/dustbaths. In 1 i have sharp sand, and in the others i have soil. yesterday i emptied a wheelbarrow of stuff from the compost bin and they have had soo much fun digging through it. Dump a bag of bark in a pile, they will dig their way through it and spread it for you, like Joy says, hang a cabbage/lettuce up somewhere, make they work for their food. if you dont have room for all this, chickens really only need somewhere to perch, so maybe a sandbox/dustbath and some perches at different heights 

[Elcie]

I have a white plastic patio table in one corner, on top of which is a green plastic paddling pool (one of the turtle shape ones) filled with soil.  There is a chair next to it and they hop onto there and then into the soil.  They love scratching around in there and I sometimes put some grit in there too.  It was initially on the floor but I am aiming to make as much space as possible so raising it off the ground meant they had the space underneath it too.