Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[amateurkeeper]

Afternoon!

 

I want to make my chooks happier - and maybe give them a distraction from constantly chasing/pecking eachother! I've heard about hanging old CD's from string, but what else can we do? They currently have a coop with a straw bed, a run with a feeder and water pot, and the run of the bottom of our garden - which has lots of grassy/weedy bits along with plenty of soil for them to dig and sunbathe in!

 

Maybe a couple of perches would be a good idea - are there any other suggestions from you experts at all please?

[Roobaloo]

Add some perches and it sounds like they'll be in hen paradise!!

[bennett]

They sound like they should be happy already! I have just bought a value wooden shoe rack from argos, painted it a nice colour and put in, in my WIR. The hens love it and for 6.99 i couldnt have made it for that! Or had the time to make it.

[westie mum]

Will be heading off to Argos tomorrow to get 1 of those shoe racks I put a couple of perches in for my girls and they love them. Have you tried putting a whole cabbage in for them this keeps mine occupied for ages

[Mollie333]

How about a man made dustbath?

effy escaped from the run and the first thing she did was hop into a bonfire, so we have now put a large washing up bowl there, then filled the bowl up with ash from the bonfire..

[honorandkit]

Our girls love perching on a large terracotta pot filled with earth - I think it must get warm in the sun, and they all climb in and snuggle down.

 

Also, someone here said they give them a tray of weeds they've pulled up from the garden - I tried it and they love it! I have an old cat litter tray that I chuck weeds, grass, cuttings into and the girls treat it like a gourmet buffet...they spend hours rifling through it, turfing it all out and pecking over it.

 

The only treat, apart from mealworms, they'll eat is porridge oats, so I scatter them in the run and they spend ages pecking around for them.

 

Enjoy your girls - they sound like they are going to be wonderfully happy.

[amateurkeeper]

Thank you all for your replies - sorry it's taken me a while to reply, it's been a busy weekend!

 

I've added a few more water tubs to the run, and every now and again I'll add some ice cubes so it's nice and cool for them. Have also made them a dust bath using an old wicker washing basket filled with soil from the garden - plus I've been weeding and putting the cuttings into an old plastic bin, of which the contents have nearly dissapeared after only 15 minutes!

 

Thanks for all your suggestions, the other half is going to make some perches tonight and I am going to try and get rid of all the flies - have made 2 fly traps but they're not working yet