Dealing With Boredom

​

Chickens are smart and therefore, bore easily. If they don't have plenty of space to roam, you will need to give them things to occupy themselves. If there are too many bored chickens, they can aggressively turn on each other or on you. So how do you entertain chickens? Good question.

​

Give them places to hide, climb, bars at different levels, swings, ladders, leaf piles, even toys. You can get plastic mirrors for them to peck at, toys that dispense food as they roll around, plastic balls, or balls that are suspended by strings. Tie some ropes from one place to another - they will enjoy trying to balance and roost on them.

​

You can also make their food time fun. Hide their food under some leaves. Give them variety with what they eat. Give them kitchen scraps, a squash cut in half, or really treat them with waxworms, mealworms, or crickets. Toss some of these live critters into their pen and watch the games begin. You can acquire these live treats at most pet or farm supply stores.

​

Ice Cube Treats
Chickens love ice, even in the winter. Take a couple of ice cube trays and put a piece of fruit in each section like a strawberry, blueberry, etc. Fill the tray with water and freeze. You can take a couple of ice cubes out (depending on how many chickens you have) and throw them to your chickens in the morning. They will spend the day pecking at those cubes trying to get to the fruit.

​

Cabbage (Vegetable) Fun
Hang a head of cabbage or lettuce. Drill a hole through the middle of the cabbage and put a rope/string through the hole. You can also use a coat hanger or anything else that allows you to push a rope/string through the center and allow the chickens to peck at it. This can work with pumpkins or any other kind of winter squash, cucumbers (mine love cucumbers and zucchini). We have tree trunks with branches in their pen area (not too close to the fence if you want them to stay in those boundaries), with nails hammered into the trunk and branches. We put pieces of apple, cucumber, zucchini, or anything else we think of on these nails. They have a great time jumping around in the branches and pecking at these goodies!

​

Here is a link to a site with toys that you can make for your chickens. The first part consists of toys you can buy. Toward the bottom of the article, it will tell you how to make your own. Many of the things they suggest you have lying around your house or can pick up at a flea market or yard sale for almost nothing.

​

https://www.knowyourchickens.com/chicken-toys/

​

So what happens when chickens become bored? They will start pulling feathers out of other birds, pecking at other birds, or bullying each other. They can become so aggressive that they can seriously injure or kill one of their flock mates. They will peck open and eat their eggs which will make a mess of your coop area. They can also look for ways of escape which can lead to tragedy if they escape into the waiting jaws of a predator.

​