When you live on a hobby farm, and your animal’s only purpose is to be your pet, you’ll end up thinking of fun things you can do to keep them happy and make yourself smile.
This week I cleaned around the chicken coop and built a colorful playground for the chickens.
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KEEPING CHICKENS HAPPY WITH A COLORFUL PLAYGROUND
The first thing I had to do was a little weed clean-up.
The soil is sandy, so it didn’t take too long to clean up the weedy mess.
Next, I searched through my pile of scrap lumber in my storage shed.
I found a few good pieces of scrap wood to create a nice dust bath space and build a little swing.
The chickens have a little spot on the back of the chicken coop that they dust bathe, but I’m hoping I can fill that area with a future lavender and mint herb garden.
Plus, the back of the chicken coop received a fresh coat of paint and a fun mural this year.
It’s just too pretty to have dirt holes around.
All I did to create the swing was use a 2″ x 2″ cut board at about 14 inches.
I painted the board with lime green paint and added hooks to each end.
Instead of using string for hanging the swing, I used wire so it wouldn’t sway as much as they jump up to rest on it.
A small step ladder was painted pink, and it’s a perfect little perch.
If you’re wondering, FolkArt Acrylic Paint, is one of my favorite and used the most craft paint brands.
I also had a mirror in the basement that I had no purpose for, so I added that to the space too.
The mirror is both glued and screwed on securely.
I was a bit worried about Feral and Wolf, my two silkie roosters, but they haven’t seemed to be intimidated by it yet.
I’ve had the painted rocks around the coop for a few years.
The chickens like to sit on top of them, but I touched up the heart and peace signs to brighten them back up.
I also have a funny Instagram reel about the playground and this little white silkie admiring herself in the mirror for the first time on Instagram.
I’ll share the Instagram Reel at the bottom of this post!
One of my favorite thing about our hobby farm is watching the animals be silly.
This was a happy little project for both myself and the chickens.
We’re calling this space the Fluffy Butt Playground. It’s colorful, fun, and the perfect little spot for the chickens to beat boredom.
Do you have a special spot around your coop for your chickens?
If not, I hope this post gave you a few fun ideas.
Now go on and make some fun for your chickens!
XOXO
Emily
UPDATE:
This is no longer our chicken coop!
You can find our new chicken coop in the post WELL, THAT DIDN’T GO AS PLANNED. THE NEW CHICKEN COOP, but don’t worry I was able to save the playground!
YOU CAN ALSO FIND A VARIETY OF CHICKEN TOYS ON AMAZON
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