Once you have spent some time around the chickens, it is easy to see that they are much higher than just eggs laying machines. Chickens, as you know, can be very curious, social, and given the opportunity they can be very fun. Boredom isn’t much of a problem, but a bored chicken posing numerous problems is more likely than not to feather peck, eat eggs, or engage in mindless pacing. Fortunately, all it takes is some brainstorming and you will be able to change the routine of the chicken for something much more engaging, playful, and healthy.
Considering the ideas given below can not only keep your chickens busy but they will also help keep the chickens active, and perhaps spoiled, all in a good way.
Contents
1. Treat Balls and Hanging Snacks
Now think of a game of soccer where the prize is scratch and corn. This is essentially the outcome of a chicken’s game. Treat balls are given to a flock as a prize and boy do they love it. These balls are hollow and only dispense a few grains at a time, and only after a chicken pecks it and rolls it around. Treat balls get the chickens thinking, keeps them energized, and are a good form of exercise.
To make a simple chicken toy, consider a do-it-yourself treat ball. Stuff any sized plastic bottle with a few holes with dried meal worms or small amounts of scratch. Sit back and enjoy as your chickens use all their skill to roll and balance the bottle to their liking.
Chickens will enjoy a more complex exercise and for this, grab some string. With cabbage, apples, or corn, you can make quite the swinging and pecking challenge for your chickens. Though it might look a tad out of place for your chickens, it will certainly entertain them to play for hours.
The chickens also need to have some fun and for this, implement a designated dust bath area. It can be made of dirt or sand, and the spa treatment of the chickens will leave them looking quite something. This excess dirt on their skin will not promote any issues with mites, rather it keeps the skin and feathers healthy.
Dirt baths are fun, entertaining, and a good hygiene tactic. Dust baths can be upgraded as well with any combination of diatomaceous earth, or even a sprinkle of dried herbs, lavender and mint. These will make bathing in the dirt more unique and enjoyable. Also, some of the herbs will help ward off pests. Put the bath in a sunny corner and you will often find half your flock piled in the sand box, rolling around like kids.
3. Equipment for chicken swings and perches
They say that chicken swings do exist, and some chickens do indeed enjoy them. Not every hen will readily participate, but those that do engage get more than their fair share of practicing balance. You can purchase swings or make one with a rigid flat board and strong rope.
Even if swings do not captivate your flock, belief and having them high up does give a sense of safety. Chicken perches and other climbing equipment or structures, tend to give a more positive response. Old tree stumps or even wooden pallets can serve as simple kept or made jungles in a matter of time.
Chickens in the wild will spend the entire day scratching the ground with their feet to get food. Domesticated hens do not spend as much time and effort. Providing them with natural scavenging and scratching behavior is both mentally stimulating and favorable to their health.
A good idea is to scatter small sections of feed, grains, or dried insects in straw or leaves inflated in the run and let the hens dig as if they were uncovering buried treasure. It’s a form of a scavenger hunt, but instead of a prize, they get food. Fill a small, shallow box with soil, leaf litter, and drawers with small hidden goodies. It serves as a mini exploration digging pit for them. Rotating your flock in different parts of the yard should there be enough space lets your flock forage independently for bugs and greens. They will do your weeding for free but you might have to safeguard the vegetable patch.
5. Seasonal Produce Play
Chickens are surprisingly food-focused which means the food you give them can serve both as a treat and a toy. During summer, you can freeze chunks of watermelon or berries to provide your chickens with a cold snack. Fall is the time to scatter pumpkin guts or hang a whole pumpkin to be pecked. Winter squashes, cucumbers, and leafy greens are great boredom busters too.
What makes this extra fun for the chickens is the variety. One day a chicken might get a pumpkin, the next day a frozen block of berries, then keeps them guessing. Just remember to avoid giving them low quality sugary foods on a daily basis.
6. Mirrors and Shiny Distractions
It is entertaining to see that some chickens actually show a particular fondness to their reflections. Mirrors are one of the objects that can be used to introduce an element of novelty to their routine. They twitch their heads mid-chatter, often to “talk” to their “new best friend,” while trying to peck and analyze the mirror.
Shiny objects like used, unbroken CDs, while not directly related to mirrors, can be used as a novel source of entertainment as long as the sunlight hits them at the right angle. They serve to disconnect the chickens, reflecting moving lights. Certain measures should be taken not to go overboard with these contraptions; excess sunlight may cause unbearable stress to the chickens.
7. Interactive Time with You
Enrichment is you, one of the most unsettled forms of enrichment. Most people do not know that chickens can recognize care and some breeds enjoy sociality. For example, Cinnamon Queen Chicken, a friendly, folk oriented hybrid that often reacts well to handling. They have the opportunity to jump on one side or make simple tricks like following a target of attention. This strengthens their faith and lets their brain do some stimulation.
There is also the option of feeding treats to chickens, allowing them to roam within a set area, or even using props for some “chicken photo booth” sessions. Most of the time, people do not realize the importance of these activities. They serve as a bridging time for two different species.
8. Obstacle Courses and Tunnels
You can build a much more creative playground for your flock. Tunnels with boxes, PVC pipes, and old playground tubes can also be made, and they encourage the flock to use their imaginations. They will become active and entertained with an ‘obstacle course’ having small ramps, low hurdles, and miniature stepping platforms.
It does not have to be a fancy course. Chickens will become curious about almost anything you place in their area to investigate. This is true of rearranging the entire furniture of the coop or run.
9. Flock-Friendly Companions
Chickens are social creatures. Even with the toys and special goodies you provide, nothing beats the well rounded mental exercise of a diverse flock. A flockless hen is typically a sad and forlorn creature. It is important to have birds in groups of three or four so they can establish their natural and much needed pecking order without an overload of stress to any one individual.
Enrichment can and will work for already existing difficult flocks. When a hen is busy, she is much less likely to bully her sisters. Having many treat stations to sit on reduces the chance of the bully having her target in focus. Several chickens have a chance to get involved, and thus have the opportunity to work with collaboration and social skills. Rages like cinnamon rinse rows must be done well, especially in groups, as they are hardy, adaptable and thrive with both camaraderie and activity.
This isn’t meant to be odd or crazy. Some chicken owners play soft music or play nature sounds to their flocks and believe it improves their health or happiness. Responding to somebody’s voice and soft sounds can have either calming or stimulating effects as chickens are very sensitive to sounds. Just be sure to keep the softness of the sounds appropriate. It should be more of an “acoustic coffee shop playlist” and not a good “rock concert”.
Why Enrichment Matters
Just so we’re clear, The goal of enrichment isn’t to entertain the chickens. It is to give the chickens good health and the means to stay fit. Engaging in physical activity while avoiding mental exhaustion, lowers stress and aggression, especially in the neck, jaw, and shoulders during the day. This is simply to say a happy selfish flock lays trapped, diminishes aggression, and boosts the overall sustenance.
Again, let’s face it. Any fencing set up between your hens and a cabbage will give some sort of winner with determination. Enrichment is beneficial to the hens and chickens, as well as to yourself. It shifts the burden chicken keepers face to an enjoyable situation bursting with admiration to the intelligence and quirks, or personality, these creatures can have.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to purchase any expensive devices to keep your chickens engaged and happy. Sometimes, the simplest things, like a puzzle box with leaves, a box of frozen berries, or a new perch, can keep chickens engaged for hours. The key is diversity. Change the order of the activities, add new stimuli, and from time to time, give them a mystery box with something they’ve never encountered.
You chickens will remain curious and engaged, and it is much less likely that they will develop unwanted habits. You, for their part, will enjoy experiencing many unique symptoms. Unlike some people, chickens are not only an agricultural animal, but also a winged friend who deserves a life that is as exciting as they produce beautiful eggs.
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