Keeping hens and ducks chat.

ali-t · 10 September 2017 at 10:37AM

Yes edwink they are still doing it. 6 of them last night roosting on the roof and protesting loudly when we move them to the coop.

laurenh1 · 10 September 2017 at 8:14PM

Does anyone have any good but cheap toys or entertainment ideas for my girls? They have a swing which they pay no mind to. They seem happy enough roaming in the garden and have plenty of perches but I hate to think they might bw bored xx

edwink · 10 September 2017 at 9:20PM

laurenh1 wrote: »

Does anyone have any good but cheap toys or entertainment ideas for my girls? They have a swing which they pay no mind to. They seem happy enough roaming in the garden and have plenty of perches but I hate to think they might bw bored xx

Hi laurenh1

Do you have an area where they can dust bathe? An area just with some dry soil without big stones? They will spend ages cleaning themselves if you have. Even an old tin bath or big flower pots full of dry soil will keep them amused. If you can put a shelter over it they would be able to use it all year round too. Mine have several areas around the garden but prefer to dust bathe in one of our greenhouses especially in the Winter as it is slightly warmer in there for them then.

Somewhere that has leaves and bugs that they can scratch about in would be good too. Hens love to have a scratch about and make a mess doing it too. They can and do scratch about for hours always looking for something to eat that takes their fancy.

Can you hang a piece of corn on the cob on the swing somewhere? Where they have to get up on the swing before they can get at it? That way it will give them an incentive to get on to the swing and build up confidence getting up there. My girls will do anything for corn on the cob. We cut ours up in to 1 inch chunks and give them a piece each to eat and play with. The hens will push it about and peck at it for ages.

Kibbled corn is another treat they love to scratch around for and will spend ages doing so. Can be purchased online or in the larger pet shops. Just scatter a handful around the garden and they will soon find it. We mix ours in with the grass when we have cut the lawn as they like eating the grass too. Just make sure the grass isn't too long for them as it could get stuck in their throats. Just grass cuttings on its own is fine too.

You can hang cabbages/cauliflowers up in the garden where they obviously can reach them without too much trouble. That would keep them amused for ages. Mine have a metal basket which I fill with cabbage and kale leaves. Some will sit in it and eat them but the more sensible ones with manners will stand and peck at the leaves from the ground for ages. Chunks of cucumber and courgette will go down nicely too.

An area in the garden which has leaves will be interesting for them. When I am gardening and have the wheelbarrow out I normally have a hen or two who jumps in to the wheel barrow and has a scratch about even if weeds are landing on them from me weeding the veg beds. They just don't care because they are busy and most of all enjoying themselves.

A warm winter treat that keeps them busy is porridge. Scatter that about and they will be happy for ages. Never give them porridge oats in the warmer summer weather because it could cause the hens to overheat. Just the colder months for porridge.

Anything your hens can climb on safely is good fun for them. Anything that is higher than ground level even a stack of bricks will be an adventure for them. We have logs lying about and from time to time we move them and there is a mad rush to see which hen can find the juiciest thing to eat which was under there. They will find bits to peck at from the bark too.

If I think of anything else I will pop on the thread and add it for you. And if anyone else has any ideas for laurenh1 please do add your suggestions on here.

Your hens will enjoy all the fuss and treats you give them. Mine don't stop eating but they never get fat as they run around the garden like loonies most of the time.

Edwink

ali-t · 10 September 2017 at 9:52PM

We hang veg like cauliflowers up for them and have pallets with smaller wooden perches running between them and they like to climb those. We also have logs/tree stumps set up like a climbing activity for them. Even with all that, some of them stick to climbing on the coop and sliding down the roof!

laurenh1 · 10 September 2017 at 10:37PM

Thank you Edwink, they have a dust bath and a mesh basket I fill with goodies for them:) I will definitely try the corn on the cobs and hanging cabbage though

Porridge is a fab idea, i guess just made up with water? X

edwink · 10 September 2017 at 11:50PM

[QUOTE=laurenh1;73107551_Porridge_is_a_fab_idea,_i_guess_just_made_up_with_water?_X[/QUOTE]

You can just give it to them loose on the ground so they can forage for it but always make sure they have plenty of water to drink in the garden. You can also make it up with hot/warm water as they love that on a chilly day.

Edwink

edwink · 11 September 2017 at 3:23PM

CAFCGirl wrote: »

In my mind, cakes weren't designed to last long. I was bought some lovely cake storage tins last Christmas - I have no idea why and they have never housed a single cake LOL

They don't last long in our house either. You can forget about having lovely cake tins in our house :rotfl:

We decided some years ago not to buy ready made cakes from the shops and told ourselves that if we fancied a cake we had to make it first. Saves us money that way. Only thing is we never really get enough time but when we do make one it only lasts for that day. Recently we made a carrot cake with a chocolate topping. After scoffing that throughout the day we both didn't have any room for our supper, seriously.

That reminds me. YAY!! will be Mince Pie season soon :eek: and yes we do put real Brandy in them. Yum, yum, yum!!

Edwink

Jojo_the_Tightfisted · 11 September 2017 at 10:42PM

The hens I used to be around often entertained themselves by torturing the lazy old ginger tom when he had a little nap on top of the run. They would start off congregating underneath him, burbling conspiracies and schemes, and then would take turns to see who could get the most loose fur from the tip of his tail as it dangled down. They'd then let him go back to sleep properly by scuffing around for morsels before one would suddenly emerge above the group, make a godawful clattering racket right underneath his head and then I would swear they all laughed as the poor cat attained vertical lift off before pretending they had nothing to do with his awakening when he landed and glared at them.

I think I'd try and set up some sort of hide and seek activity for them - small bits of food/blobs of porridge around some logs, a bunch of cut down tubes of differing sizes on a flat surface with little bits scattered inside etc. I do remember the girls stealing a small, light football for a kick about one afternoon - and another chasing the rabbit, who was chasing the poor cat, around in circles, before popping up to the vantage point of the apple tree. Could cat/dog treat balls work with chooks?

laurenh1 · 13 September 2017 at 8:50AM

our lovely point of lays have started laying so we now get 3 eggs per day ( albeit 2 of them are still quite small) one of our older ex bat's doesn't really lay anymore which is a shame, but I am happy with 3 per day

and certainly happy to keep her. Yesterday I got them some treats from amazon (with some free vouchers I received , hurrah) and my lovely friend brought in some corn from his allotment which we hung up for them and they went crazy for! Thanks for all your ideas ladies, I have added porridge to my shopping list.

By the way, what does everyone do on bonfire night, I have never had chickens before on bonfire night and our garden backs right on to a field where there is a display, will this upset them, am I better moving them inside for the night?

edwink · 13 September 2017 at 11:58AM

laurenh1 wrote: »

our lovely point of lays have started laying so we now get 3 eggs per day.

my lovely friend brought in some corn from his allotment which we hung up for them and they went crazy for!

By the way, what does everyone do on bonfire night, I have never had chickens before on bonfire night and our garden backs right on to a field where there is a display, will this upset them, am I better moving them inside for the night?

Hi Laurenh1

Lovely fresh eggs for you now they have started laying. Much nicer and fresher than from the shops. Yum!! :T

Glad the hanging sweetcorn worked. It doesn't take them much time to work out what is tasty and what isn't does it? Hanging it gives them something to do but sweetcorn doesn't last long with them does it? :eek:

With regards to the fireworks we actually brought our baby ducks indoors. We sat indoors trying to decided what to do because the loud bangs around here are very loud. We opened their hut up and lifted them out and they just followed us indoors no problem. We had a sturdy lean to when we moved in that was attached to our living room so we kept the door open so they could still see us from in there. We left them in there for the night on newspaper with straw on top and a bowl of feed/water and they were fine in the morning. Difficult to know what to do when it comes to the fireworks but as you back on to a field where they have a display I would personally bring them in as they are so young. HTH

Talking of being them indoors when one of ours is poorly/very old we bring them indoors and they perch on the wooden bar under our kitchen table. As I sit at the kitchen table every evening they cosy up to my feet that also rest on the bar. I put what I call a drip tray (kitchen paper) under their bottoms so the floor is not messy in the morning. :cool:

Edwink

Keeping hens and ducks chat.

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