Enviromental Enrichment

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David
Does anyone have any suggestions to how I can enrich my chickens coop? I've heard that a mirror can interest them. I give them a scatter feed thru the day to keep them busy and give then treat food every other day (broccoli, rice, pasta etc) They are free to roam our garden most days and have a reasonably sized coop run.

Wendy
Hi David,
I am sure, if they can free range that is probably enrichment enough. LOL
But I know my girls love greens [of any sort, spring,brussel tops, broccoli, cabbage, curly kale etc] that I hang from the top of the run. They have to chase it around and jump up to get it, once they have eaten the bottom bits.


Richard
Sounds like they are having a pretty good life - great!

The only thing I know of for 'busyness' is to hang a cabbage up and let them play around with that.
I must say that I tried it, but as they have a lot of space, they tended not to take a lot of notice of it!

I'd be interested to hear some other forumers ideas.

Annie
you can also fill a coconut shell with layers pellets that you have added water to so that it forms a paste .Mine will peck at this for ages and yes a mirror works great .Mine sit and chat to a mirror ive got in there run


30Grasshopper
Thanks for that, I must be doing something they like as one has just laid her first eggs (Blue ones) All the eggs were in perfect condition although she did lay one on the coop floor but she now lays in the nestbox!

Skewbaldpony
i was thinking, you know what they really love when they're wandering around our yard is to scratch around in a bale of something, so if you could reproduce that, without making too much mess? a chunk of straw or something, you could always scoop it up and compost it now and again, and set them to shredding a new one? and they love to climb around, hop on and off the bales, so maybe some climbing material.