3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[debbie26pet]

one of my rir has a thing for polysterene how can i stop her she will even go pinching it out of boxes in hubbies garage and today the kids caught her pinching it from the trampoline poles that hold the net on how can i stop her?

[cluckbok]

How about some anti-peck spray on the polystyrene?? or remove the ones in the garage, obviously the trampoline ones are permanent, but the anti-peck spray may do the trick, do not know what else to suggest. I suspect a chicken another eggspert will be along in a mo.

[debbie26pet]

How about some anti-peck spray on the polystyrene?? or remove the ones in the garage, obviously the trampoline ones are permanent, but the anti-peck spray may do the trick, do not know what else to suggest. I suspect a chicken another eggspert will be along in a mo.

 

the garage ones have been moved hubby htinking of putting them ties on the trampoline to make the material tigh so teh polysteren is hidden not sure we only thinking she seems to find it som reason. bin men gonna think we got a thing about polysterene lately in bin each week

as we are removing it out of boxes etc

[Karen Pimlott]

Don't let her eat it it can prove fatal... they can not digest it.

 

Karen

[debbie26pet]

no in the end we had to ground her to the run until we can sort the trampoline out tomorrow then im hopin we have moved it all.

i hope now she not had to much i just been out checked her she still her mouthy self

[xScrunchee]

I used to give my girls large blocks of polystyrene to keep them occupied. (Due to advice given on a different forum) They would spend hours pecking little bits off and it really did keep them busy. I was told that it would just pass straight through them with no ill effects. It did pass straight through them sure enough but I later was told on here that it contains cancer causing chemicals so maybe best if I don't give it to them.

 

Shame really as it really did keep them busy and I had no feather pulling/bullying problems at all.

This then makes me wonder if the feather plucking etc is partly due to boredom even though I am always giving my girls things to peck at etc it just seems strange how I didn't have these problems when they had polystyrene to peck at.

 

So-my point is, I wouldn't panic that your girls have eaten a little polystyrene-mine ate tons of the stuff and survived

[Egluntyne]

Can you cover the bits on the trampolene with tape....or fence the trampolene area off with a bit of netting?

[xScrunchee]

After my last post I was thinking about the polystyrene stopping the feather pulling and decided to look into it.

It seems that some people say that you shouldn't give them polystyrene blocks while others say that it is a good way to stop feather pulling.

 

People say that polystyrene is safe until it is burned which then makes it release harmful gases.

 

I have read the opinions of people on various forums and it seems to be about 50/50. Some people have been doing it for years, others do not agree with it.

Some experts have also suggested that it is a good boredom buster.

 

Even though there are different opinions, one thing I have noticed is that so far I have found no evidence to suggest that illness, cancer or other ill effects have been caused by hens ingesting polystyrene.

 

Mmm, what to do????

 

I know for a fact that it really helped my girls before and they seemed fine.

If people have been doing it for years and their hens have been fine and the eggs have been eaten and all is well maybe it is worth continuing with it as it really did help with the behaviour problems.

 

Really not sure what to do now!!

[debbie26pet]

its the same here she loves it but, wasnt sure if safe, the trampoline polysterene we are covering with tape and see if that works, but interested to see what others think as boredom it used for as she loves it will find it no matter hwo hard im trying

[Keanie Bean]

I saw someone on here ( cant remember who, sorry) who said if its not fit for human consumption then you shouldnt give it to a chicken. Polystyrene may or may not hurt them, I couldnt possibly know, but I wouldnt like to eat it myself.

 

Perhaps one of those hard corn treats, i think omlet sell them now would be better and would have the same effect, ie. stopping the boredom and therefore stopping the feather pecking.

i think some people hang up whole cabbages for this purpose too, although mine wont touch it unfortunately.

 

Sarah.x

[FruitandNutCake]

I was just wondering if parrot type toys and treats would work for chickens? I haven't got my chickens yet, but would like to be prepared for when they arrived.

 

Would things like hanging seed bells, or hanging raffia toys be of interest to a chicken?

 

Michelle

[The Bantam of the Opera]

well my chickens also eat rocks, snail shells and all other manner of things i wouldnt touch and theyre fine

i wouldnt worry about it too much, my chickesn will have a go at eating anything they find and all sorts of rubbish and theyre no worse the wear for it.

[Guest]

i wouldn't let my girls eat it

 

"Benzene, a material used in the production of polystyrene, is a known human carcinogen"

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene

[Christian]

I was just wondering if parrot type toys and treats would work for chickens? I haven't got my chickens yet, but would like to be prepared for when they arrived.

 

Would things like hanging seed bells, or hanging raffia toys be of interest to a chicken?

 

Michelle

 

Yes Michelle! Any bird type treat will be appreciated by chickens. Make sure you get the seed treats made with honey though, the fat/suet ones are bad for them.

 

 

[debbie26pet]

I was just wondering if parrot type toys and treats would work for chickens? I haven't got my chickens yet, but would like to be prepared for when they arrived.

 

Would things like hanging seed bells, or hanging raffia toys be of interest to a chicken?

 

Michelle

 

Yes Michelle! Any bird type treat will be appreciated by chickens. Make sure you get the seed treats made with honey though, the fat/suet ones are bad for them.

 

 

 

i got 2 of these and was told on another site it not good for them so i took mine out one has the sunflower seeds, was told can cause lose bowels etc? any ideas

[Christian]

Too many sunflower seeds can inhibit the uptake of calcium from food, but why not leave the seed bell in the run every few days, not everyday.

 

I use peckablocks/seed bells when I go away for a couple of days with work. Every now and then won't do them any harm.

[Keanie Bean]

well my chickens also eat rocks, snail shells and all other manner of things i wouldnt touch and theyre fine

.

 

I bet Ray Mears has though

 

Sarah.x