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I'm trying to find a few new things to keep my girls amused while myself and the OH are at work during the week.

 

Now the evening are getting darker earlier, they're not out of the run during the day (but FR at the weekend).

 

I want to make a swing perchy thing to go inside the run of the Go, but i'm not sure about the how.

Does anyone have one? or have any ideas on how to create something similar. :wink:

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I've not got one but on eBay they have a play swing for chickens, I found it when I searched for 'Chicken Coop' that might give you an idea of how to construction one for your run.

 

I'd assume chain would be the best thing to make one from? to hang from them wire IYSWIM? I supposed crudely, you could construct it from a broom handle and some chain? but my DIY skills are shocking, so not sure how well it would work!

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PS - Seeing you're from Hindhead wondered if you got your chickens from Golden Valley which is from where we got the idea of a swing!

 

Sue

 

Yes we did go to golden valley!! They were both on the swing when we picked them up, so hence i thought the'y quiet like it!

 

It's all in the construction though. :wink:

I'm thinking a trip to homebase for some chain or rope, caribiner clips, and some wood!

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Would you have to make the swing so that it is connected to the floor, so it didn't bash the other chickens ?

 

OH and DS are being mean and said I have asked a stupid question.

NOW they are being really silly and saying how bout a slide or a bouncy castle or a horse (old fashioned park thingy) :evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:

 

MEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Ha ha ha. :lol:

 

I think they'd quite like a chicken fun fair! Bumper cars and a helter skelter!

 

They'd love a popcorm stand.

 

I'd try and hang it from the roof of the run, i've only got the 2 girls as we lost one in oct :( . It would be nice if it could swing a little.

 

If not i'm happy for them to just have a perch!

 

Just want my girls to have a little in house entertainment.

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I’ve been worrying about my ladies being bored after being moved from grass to woodchip over Winter, so taking inspiration from here I made a swing over the weekend :)

 

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/LisaCora/Chooks/DSC_0040-1-2-1.jpg

 

The photo shows Ivy, my top hen, having a swing as soon as it was put up. Its a bit blurred because I didn't want her to think I was spying on her :whistle: ... She has now allowed the other two to join her :lol:

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I've read many times on here that its important that your chickens stay occupied and dont get bored. So I went to our local wood and found them a large branch for them to climb on in the garden however they rarely used it as they were busy scratching up the lawn :x

 

So I cut the end off and installed it in their run. They love it and are always either walking along it or are all sat side by side off the cold ground.

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I built one this morning it took me 20 minutes tops, and cost me £20 in materials.

 

3.5 Meters of chain between 3-5mm thick,

4 x Dee Shackles

2 x Ring Bolts

1 x Broom Handle

 

I just drilled a hole through the diameter of the broom handle at each end, threaded the ring bolts through, attached the chain via a dee-shackle to the ring bolts, wrapped it around the cross beam making the ceiling of the walk in run, and then dee-shackled the chain back to itself.

 

I can lower / raise the broom handle swing by winding / unwinding the nuts on the ring bolts.

 

I hope this helps, it's so easy, now I just need to see if the girls will use it lol bet they won't, everything we've ever done / made / added to stop them being bored, they've ignored / buried lol but we've done our bit, they must clearly not be bored.

 

I'll post pics if they start to use it, I'll also post some pics of how it's put together so hopefully it will help you if you wish. :)

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Pictures of the swing, sorry they're quite large, believe it or not I did shrink them to 25% of original size, sorry. :oops:

 

Here is a picture of the Swing:

swing1.jpg

 

This shows the Dee-Shackle and Ring Bolt connection to the Broom Handle:

swing2.jpg

 

 

And this shows the Dee-Shackle connection around the ceiling beam of the WIR:

swing3.jpg

 

 

The beauty of it is that from laying all the pieces out - finished swing takes 10-20 minutes max. AND because of how it's constructed, it can be raised / lowered / moved with NO fuss as everything just undoes, no screws, no drilling (apart from 2 holes in the broom handle) I'm not terribly technical, but this was a really nice surprising doddle. :)

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sadly not, i wondered if it might be too high, but i shouldn't have thought so, to be honest, all the stuff we've given them they've never used,

Yoghurt pot - ignored and buried

Swinging CD's - ignored

Dangle things to peck - got treats out, then ignored.

Dangling hollow ball - ignored even WITH treats in it lol

 

So I should imagine they will ignore this, but at least we have given them options, and I will add more branches etc in due course. tbh We're quite lucky in that there's concrete under all our fences, and chicken wire to be safe. And the local foxes / badgers are too lazy as the Isle of Wight doesn't have wheelie bins, so everyone puts their bags on the side of the road, and the foxes and badgers dig in, so the idea of scratching through concrete and chewing through wood and wire, is far too much effort for Mr. Fox, so our girls get to free range 90% of the time. They're only stuck in the run if we're out all day, or on holiday.

 

Another factor as to why they haven't used it, they've got 2 veg beds to scratch around in / perch on lol next time we leave them in the run for a day, i'll make sure i watch them see if they have a sneaky swing :D when they think no-ones looking :D

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Many thanks for those swing building instructions! I don't have a WIR as such but I'm going to ask OH to build one for the chooks to hang from my mini apple tree. This tree is my chooks' favourite gossip gathering place so I hope they'll like a swing attached to one of its lowest branches :think: (OH needs a little job to keep him busy too :whistle: )

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Ours have a climbing frame. I made it three levels and then have a perching bar higher than that. They love climbing up and down to the perch and sit for hours at the top watching the world go by and doing feather maintenance. I shall be making a swing soon. Can't have them getting bored...

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