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

[Emma&lewie]

Hello, I feel like a terrible mother hen!!!!

I got my girls last summer and they happily free ranged all day but as I only have a small garden and two young children the chicken poo became too much of a issue.... even contomplated nappies for hens!!! (joke!!)

 

so in september we build them a run, which they seemed quite happy to start with, unfortunatly have exscaped a few times!!

I just looked outside and saw Pepper pacing the floor, looking really unhappy I let them out for a bit when with in ten mins they got to my fenced off ~(clearly not fenced off enough!) vegi patch and have totaly demolised my young onions, Garlic and winter peas which I had kept alive and well after all the frost!!

and one of them found a dead mouse left from the cats and stared eating it... hope she'll be ok?! I didnt spot it before they did!

 

so after all that Im not sure whether i want them out again, but hate the idea of them caged up board, so any ideas on how to entertain them? ( I tried kareookee and charades but they wernt impressed and gave me there best simon cowl look!!!)

Emma.x

[Carol U]

You could try hanging some things in their run to keep them amused. Some people hang up old cds which they seem to enjoy pecking at. Mine enjoy half a cabbage, suspended on a string, which is almost out of their reach - so that they have to work a bit to reach it and keep it still enough to get a bite. Worth a try anyway.

[helenmb]

Don't beat yourself up, you are not a terrible mother hen, just a very sensible one trying to keep everyone happy! They will always plead to get out of any size run (you have to grow deaf ears as my mum would say) and as you have found out, they are not discerning about where they put their large feet and beaks either.

 

I hang up stuff in my run and try to make the stuff as difficult to get to therefore making them work for it and keeping them occupied. I have recently found the large square bird cake feeders work very well with cabbage or lettuce leaves stuffed in tight. They are cheap to buy and easy to fill. I also use suspended clips (a bulldog clip would do fine) to hang up leaves with too. They also like to peck off the corn out of whole (uncooked or cooked) corn on the cob - I know there are not in season at the moment but you can get cheap frozen ones sometimes.

 

Here is a picture of some of my girls having a go at the cabbage.

[Falkor]

Mine have got the radio on.

 

I use one on those shower radios hung from some trellis when I am gardening and I found the girls seem to quite enjoy it too.

 

They respond to our voices so why not the radio!?

 

OH thinks I am mad but they seem to enjoy Radio 1 (groovy chicks!). He puts Talk Sport on for them and they all wander off and hide under the conifer!

 

In their run mine also have:

logs

perches

dustbash

sprout stalk

parrot mirror

BIG bird feeder to put veg in

and their favourite........

Guinea pig treat ball - I put the days corn ration in (about 2/3 on an egg cup) close the little hatch so it is quite small and they will spen hours playing football trying to get the corn out!

Like the one in link below......

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trixie-Snacky-for-Rabbits-Guinea-Pigs-Treat-Ball_W0QQitemZ390007211980QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Small_Animals?hash=item390007211980&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

 

This is not advertising as it is TOO EXPENSIVE just to show what I mean. I think my ball cost £1.99 from Pets at Home but my local pet shop sells them for a little more.

 

My girls are out in the garden today and they have discovered HIDE AND SEEK. I have hung some big towels out in the vain hope that they might half dry (optimistic) and Stella keeps going inside the wirlygig dryer and then running out and scaring Gin have to death! Quite funny to watch!

[helenmb]

Guinea pig treat ball - I put the days corn ration in (about 2/3 on an egg cup) close the little hatch so it is quite small and they will spend hours playing football trying to get the corn out!

Loving this idea too - might have to go and do a bit of shopping

[Emma&lewie]

ohhh thank you all so much for your fantastic ideas, my girls are going to love your sugestions too!

right Im off shopping!!

thanks again

Emma.X

[henny penny]

I love these ideas too! Mine pace up and down the run whenever they see any movement in the utility- making me feel very guilty!

I have recently added a nice big branch in the run for them to perch on- they quite like that!