4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[catherinej]

Anyone any ideas what i can do to keep my hens occupied in their run? They are used to free ranging but with several visits from the local fox I am keeping them in the run. They look so fed up but I don't have time to let them out at the mo and anyway would have trouble catching them to put them back in! Any suggestions welcome!

[Egluntyne]

How about a peckablock or some greens to peck at.

 

Why not have a look in the "Chickens" and Frequently Asked Questions" sections for more ideas.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Perches, branches and hanging veg/fruit are popular with my girls!

[chelsea]

ditto to above

 

hanging a broccoli, spinach, corn on the cob keeps them amused. There is that bird feeder ball for sale in the omlet shop - you could fill that will bits and bobs and hang up.

 

Occasionally our girls have a seed bell (made from honey not suet) hung in the run.

 

Branches, tree stumps, a dust bath all give hentertainment.

[Lesley]

All good ideas....

 

 

and I'll move this to the Chickens section.......

[catherinej]

Thanks.

 

I brought a litter tray today and filled it with saw dust and compost - they both looked at me like I was mad! Also, I hung a seed and honey bar from the run (meant to be for hamsters so hope this is ok) and they didn't think much to that either! I think they have just had too much upset over the last few weeks what with Penny loosing her best friend, then being attacked by the fox and Dot being rehomed.

 

My OH is going to build a walk in run next weekend so that should cheer them up! Also will mean that I can get some more Hens . Wish I have a cube so I could get more in!

[AbigailGrace]

I think this is pretty cool.. A little Mirror (from pets at home)

 

 

http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-6+small+pets/breed-is-rabbit/product-is-20333/pgs-is-135

 

As it is a bit more stylish than a CD..

 

It's quite big but not massive and would be there for when they are having a bad feather day..

 

I actually have one in my gerbils cage and i might take it out for when i get my chickens as they have plenty of toys and stuff in there..

 

I'm not too sure if chickens like bells but it kinda isn't a tinkles a little but it isn't loud or scary as my gerbils like the sound of it and they have a fruit holder thing with a bell on and they play with it so it can get a little annoying when two of them are going a both things..

 

I think maybe extend it a little as it won't be that long for them to see..

 

But i hope it will bring them hours of posing..

 

Hehe.. Ah i think i'm going crazy.. Adding mirrors and things..

 

Oh I think it has gone down in price as i went in the other day and noticed it was £1.59 (bargin)

 

(Oh if you have a pink eglu it will match..!)

Abigail Grace

[catherinej]

Hi, not heard of that one before - I know budgies like them but not sure on chickens but for £1.59 its worth a try! And i have a pink eglu! When do you get your hens? You must be very excited!

[AbigailGrace]

Hello Catherine..

 

Well we hope to get our eglu this sunday (hopefully)..

 

And the chickens will follow..

 

Well yeah they seem to like cds a they shine and when they peck at them they move about..

 

So i thought that they would quite like it really.. if not then it will just look pretty in the run..

 

But yeah i can't wait to get them..!

 

I will be posting pictures of them as soon as they arrive..

 

Abigail

[helenmb]

I always hang up some cabbage or better still Spring Greens (as they are cheap and easy to get hold of at the moment) for my girls. I also stuff anything green into one of the wire bird feeder and hang that up too - the ones that you can put a fat block into which is plastic coated. I have found this easier to fill as the opening at the top is quite large and very cheap, I bought mine from the place I buy bird seed from for £1.99. This keeps them occupied for quite a while as it takes them longer to get the cabbage/letter etc out of it. Something like this (get the fatter one if there is a choice of size).

 

I also have a pecka-block too but find my girls prefer it if it has been dampened a bit (it went ignored until it rained on one and then it seemed to suddenly become irresistable).

 

Lastly, I use Layers Mash/Meal rather than pellets (they prefer it too) which takes them 6 times longer (so I have read) to eat the equivalent ration in pellets. So this keeps them occupied too. However, they can make a bit of a mess with it so again I hang this from my run roof so the can't get their big feet into it and use one of the cheap poultry feeds from http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk which are only £2.55 you can buy them in lots of feed suppliers too (plus there are bigger ones too).

 

 

Hope this helps.

[moomin]

Helen which Layers Mash do you use?

 

I've just bought one of those feeders exactly the same as the one in your pic. I'm thinking of changing to layers mash as they seem to be off their pellets at the moment.

 

I don't like to give them too many treats in the morning and as I'm out at work all day and they are in bed when I get home, I'm worried that they are not eating enough. The pellets seem to hardly go down, a grub full lasts ages

 

They love the Wiggly Wigglers layers mash with Bokashi which I give them as a treat but it seems a bit expensive to feed it all the time

[sandyhas3chucks]

mine ignor cd's & mirrors & pecka bloks. but they ignore cabbages too until 4 weeks ago so may go for pecka block now. Mine are ex bats so prob got dif likes than some others, but seems they all so varied you won't know until you try.!

[Suzy]

Know what you mean Sandy - my 3 have a CD which is ignored, they've had a veg stall hung from their run and it's all been ignored - a pepper, brocolli and a corn on the cob. Even lettuce was looked at and then cast aside. They've ignored the pasta I gave them yesterday. The only thing they love are strawberries, grapes (hubbie calls them the grape monsters) and their pellet porridge, oh and yesterday I tried a bit of tuna which Regan liked and the other two ignored. But then again she ate a slug the other day which made me feel quite queasy.

 

They may be ex-batts, but they're flipping fussy! I suppose it's down to complete lack of stimulation in their pens and a complete lack of variety in their diet.

 

Will keep experimenting..... if anyone has any other food realted ideas which might appeal to their obviously discerning pallets please do post!

[stoice]

They may be ex-batts, but they're flipping fussy!

 

My ex-batts at first wouldn't even touch mixed corn! cabbage, apple, pasta - all ignored at first. But i found that re-introducing them to those foods again worked a treat. As soon as one girl has a go, they all follow. Mixed corn sends them into that cute cooing mode, apple and cabbage is always welcome now, but pasta - it may even be the new grape! I started with spaghetti and wiggled it like a worm. You have to watch your fingers now around my little monsters. Pretty much anything in your hand equals food. (Including shiny nail varnish and rings!)

 

My girls always loved tinned rinsed sweetcorn so i hung up a fresh cob as a boredom buster. Was ignored for a whole week until one girl pecked at it. They all joined in - Was pecked bare in an afternoon!

 

 

 

Edited for typo * ho-hum *

[helenmb]

Helen which Layers Mash do you use?

Ros, I use at the moment Small holder Natural Free Range Layers Meal which has Omega 3 in it too.

I got my last bag online here as my local supplier didn't have any mash/meal only pellets and I was desparate as it was coming up to Christmas. The Small Holder stuff is only £7.75 for 20kg but there is then £7 delivery. TBH my girls prefer the WWigglers stuff, plus I find the non-Wiggly Layers Meal particularly the organic ones very powdery. They still woolf it down though. I mix it with Bokashi bran, garlic powder and once a week some Cod Liver Oil for some vitamin D.

 

If you go to http://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/ and click on the link on the bottom left of the home page to Join the Club they will send you a really useful folder (free of charge!) with lots of info about their poultry feed.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I bought a little flower-shaped mirror in Morrisons for 69p today. I hope the girls appreciate it (they were getting ready for bed when I put it in their run ).

 

I'll be watching for signs of vanity tomorrow .

[sandyhas3chucks]

how interesting ......as I thought the WWigglers with Bokashi very fine & powdery, perhaps it depends on the batch, have been looking for one LESS powdery!

[helenmb]

how interesting ......as I thought the WWigglers with Bokashi very fine & powdery, perhaps it depends on the batch, have been looking for one LESS powdery!

Sandy, believe you me its much more grainy than other non-Bokashi layers mash - will take a picture in a mo of the difference as I have just received a bag from WW this morning.

[moomin]

Helen thanks for your reply, I'm currently feeding Smallholders pellets mixed with Organic Feed Companies pellets, reason I'm mixing them is that I thought they were getting fed up with the Organic ones so wanted to give them a change, but they still don't eat much of it!

 

So I am going to use the pellets up in porridge which I mix with a few porridge oats, and some treats like peas, sweetcorn, mealworms etc. If I've only got dry mealworms I mix them in with the Porridge, but if they are live ones I just sprinkle them on the top as I feel sorry for suffocating them (as they are about to face a big beak kind of death in any case so don't want to add insult to injury!).

 

And for their main food the last couple of days I've fed them the WW mash with bokashi they love it and have demolished a feeder (one like yours) in a couple of days

 

Edited to add, I'm going to see how it pans out as the WW stuff is not cheap, but we've just lost our dear old moggie so we haven't got to pay out for his food anymore

[sandyhas3chucks]

i believe other buy mash & add bokashi separatly.. cheaper!

Edited January 9, 2009 by Guest

[helenmb]

If I've only got dry mealworms I mix them in with the Porridge, but if they are live ones I just sprinkle them on the top as I feel sorry for suffocating them (as they are about to face a big beak kind of death in any case so don't want to add insult to injury!).

 

And for their main food the last couple of days I've fed them the WW mash with bokashi they love it and have demolished a feeder (one like yours) in a couple of days

 

Edited to add, I'm going to see how it pans out as the WW stuff is not cheap, but we've just lost our dear old moggie so we haven't got to pay out for his food anymore

My DH thinks its very funny that I feed the girls live mealworms as I have been a strict veggie for 20 or so years .

 

Sorry to hear you have lost your dear old moggie, its times like this (and believe me I've been there lots) that I always vow to never have any more as its so upsetting when they get sick or worse .

[fowlbird]

ditto to above

 

hanging a broccoli, spinach, corn on the cob keeps them amused. There is that bird feeder ball for sale in the omlet shop - you could fill that will bits and bobs and hang up.

 

Occasionally our girls have a seed bell (made from honey not suet) hung in the run.

 

Branches, tree stumps, a dust bath all give hentertainment.

why not suet? Is there a problem with it? I assumed that anything I give to wild birds is suitable for the girls

[helenmb]

how interesting ......as I thought the WWigglers with Bokashi very fine & powdery, perhaps it depends on the batch, have been looking for one LESS powdery!

Sandy I took a picture this afternoon for you so you can see how much more powdery the Small Holder Layers Meal/Mash is compared with Wiggly Wigglers. The WW stuff is on the right. My girls eat both but I always mix in Bokashi bran to the non-Wiggly brand.

[moomin]

Helen your WW mash looks a lot courser than mine, my wiggly stuff looks more like the pic of the SmallHolders mash. Maybe mine's a different batch 'cos it's really powdery. Unless they've changed the consistency recently - which would be good as they tend to leave all the powdery bits

[helenmb]

Helen your WW mash looks a lot courser than mine, my wiggly stuff looks more like the pic of the SmallHolders mash. Maybe mine's a different batch 'cos it's really powdery. Unless they've changed the consistency recently - which would be good as they tend to leave all the powdery bits

I only had that delivered to me on Friday the 9/1? The Small Holder stuff is really powdery though and this is the 2nd batch of it I've had its almost like whole wheat flour