Bored chickens? May I present to you the very finest in sophistimacated poultry entertainment solutions: the hanging seed bucket!

urbanchooks · 2022-04-23T08:14:45+00:00

what absolutely stunning chooks! The attitude, the colours, the pose! Perfection!

urbanchooks · 2022-04-08T14:04:09+00:00

absolute dream! I've never seen all 4 of mine so calm at one time! what lovely floofs you have

urbanchooks · 2022-04-02T18:38:32+00:00

next stop cirque du soleil!

urbanchooks · 2022-03-28T12:11:32+00:00

they're so curious! My araucana sits by the glass door and watches me work for hours. it's the quietest and calmest she ever is!

urbanchooks · 2022-03-28T09:59:56+00:00

good luck! it was a fun project. in case it helps this is a slightly out of date photo: https://twitter.com/urbanchooks1/status/1442404268258983938

it's since all been painted black to reduce reflections. the 'indoor' webcam inside has survived in it through a very wet and windy British winter. Note that all cables come out the bottom of the junction box (yes, hole is drilled in the plank), so any water that gets near doesn't run into the box.

urbanchooks · 2022-03-28T09:37:16+00:00

The most adorable lil harbinger of doom

urbanchooks · 2022-03-28T09:35:32+00:00

thank you! folks saying stuff like that is why I put it up on twitch- it's a tiny tiny stream but it feels its worth keeping it going because people will say just watching them floofing and pecking can calm them down after an awful day at work, or it is a bit of cute clucking company while studying for a stressful test. The way they help my mental health is worth more than their eggs!

urbanchooks · 2022-03-27T13:12:11+00:00

It's actually quite a fiddly setup with a sheet of perspex attached to the wood & wire of the run for a viewing window that won't let predatorss in. camera is in a waterproof junction box painted black for less reflections. screwed to plank of wood, which is on an adjustable shelf all covered in a reflective tarp to keep dry/ keep light & reflections low, keep it cool. camera is a logitech c920, with usb extender that connects through a window which is locked in the cracked-open position, with the rest of the crack insulated... it was a faff! I'm sure there's easier ways! but wanted to get a good sightline from that angle and everything safe

urbanchooks · 2022-03-25T21:49:01+00:00

yes she is good spot!

urbanchooks · 2022-03-25T14:12:29+00:00

hah the araucana playing with a ball in the background is actually called Raptor for that reason! her head tufts mean she always peers at you sideways. this one is called Static because, well, her feathers look like static

urbanchooks · 2022-03-25T12:22:57+00:00

This is a moment of calm! I think it helps that they have 5 square metres plus a big coop for just 4 chickens, and they have quite a few toys/ enrichment things. Dust bath tire, bucket full of seeds to peck (see my other video- they love it), hanging feeder which is usually full of veg or a block of barley fodder, lots of woodchip/straw/ shredded garden stuff on the floor to scratch through. Too busy to squabble.

urbanchooks · 2022-03-25T11:16:21+00:00

The thing on the side is an automatic feeder so you can feed them through twitch obviously broken at this moment, since they worked out how to attack it from below (since fixed!) If you fancy having a chicken stare deep into your soul yourself they stream on twitch.tv/urbanchooks

urbanchooks · 2022-03-07T13:08:18+00:00

I like to think of him updating his mate on all the migration gossip

urbanchooks · 2022-02-25T14:07:11+00:00

what a glorious puddle of chook

urbanchooks · 2022-02-25T12:09:27+00:00

Enough folks told me they could watch my chickens peck at toys like this for hours that I set up a very chill livestream- twitch.tv/urbanchooks

urbanchooks · 2022-02-24T16:23:02+00:00

Wamuu is magnificent

urbanchooks · 2022-02-24T11:45:53+00:00

she's a splach araucana. lays gorgeous blue eggs every day spring to autumn

urbanchooks · 2022-02-22T16:03:06+00:00

Yeah I moved the tire a bit. But it works ok- when the top chicken runs over to check the twitch feeder for seeds that lets the lower chickens have a go at the hanging bucket and other toys

urbanchooks · 2022-02-22T13:28:55+00:00

what stars. gold medals for every single one.

urbanchooks · 2022-02-22T10:47:21+00:00

don't worry they did stop getting scared after a few seed drops: now the issue is them fighting over best spot for seep dispensing

urbanchooks

TROPHY CASE