“ unfounded custody are the devil ’s plaything ” is a saying that most people reckon only lend oneself to humans . On the contrary , it can employ to all species of animals , specially poultry . Many chicken boredom behaviors can seem if your bird are n’t enriched , and some are n’t the corking to see .
If your deal is bored , it ’s not exit to be exist the best animation . in particular in wintertime , you might see these behaviors more often . keep your flock cooped up can increase the chance of these chicken boredom behaviors establish .
Always on the move , crybaby are exceedingly funny piffling creatures . With affectionate weather condition , many great deal owners free - grasp , and with the mass of activities that they enter in throughout the day , chickens can get bored very easily when weather turns cold .
Many thing happen throughout a dame ’s day . Pecking , scratch up , trail after bugs , flying up in trees , playing in weeds , socialization , dustbathing , sunbathing and investigate anything alien are just a few dailyexperiences . In a gravid environment , chickens have many activities to carry in and can keep themselves entertain all day long with no issues .
Once you coop your birds , you’re able to take a lot of these behavior away without meaning to .
Always , always , always see that you have more than enough space for your lot . you’re able to never go wrong with a large run . This will ensure that even if you have tough shuttle , your bottom bird will have enough space to get away .
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Bird Behavior
We ’re go to dive into these behaviors one at a time before we get into chicken boredom buster .
Feather picking and feather exit are function to be a result sign . Over clip , you ’ll learn your flock member ’s individual traits .
Most flock have a “ bottom birdie ” that is the fowl at the very bottom of the pecking order . This skirt will get picked on , and you ’ll see this sign first affair on it . When chicken are bored ( sometimes feather pick could indicate another issue ) , you ’ll originate to find broken and/or missing feathers . What is happening is that another razzing is bored , and they ’re picking at the other bird and not at the ground or something else .
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If this goes on too long , you gamble shuttlecock in your flock getting injuries and malady . If a doll is pick on too much , their cutis will start to suffer and you ’ll have an increased danger of them being cold or get an infection .
Read more : Feathers fly ? It could be a job — or just exuviate . Here ’s how to tell the difference .
Bored birds can also commence eating their testis . They might do this with a vitamin insufficiency , as well , but if they ’re cooped up and bored , this deportment will rear its ugly head .
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During winter , some breeds lay , while others do n’t . You ’ll have to rely on how well you know your flock to see when this behavior will make an appearance . If you unremarkably get one to two testis daily during winter and then you begin to get cypher across the board , distrust that your hatful may just be tired of take in nothing to do .
Another exit you’re able to run into is death . When chicken boredom coif in , you spate will protrude messing with things they normally do n’t touch . If you have netting within their reach , they may start flying into it or pecking at it .
Destruction does n’t only apply to their coop but to each other . Remember : They ’re genetically relate to dinosaurs ! They ’ll agitate up arguments amongst themselves just to give themselves something to do . This again can guide to injuries and illness .
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If you have roosters mixed in , they may repeatedly challenge each other or overbreed your hens if they get bored .
Boredom busters are here to assist curtail the above chicken behaviors . You want tedium busters that are easy and provide entertainment for long duo of time when you’re able to’tbe in the poulet chicken coop with them . You want to bring a complex environment in as much as youcan and allow for them with some type ofstimulation . Harry Kingston / Shutterstock
Garden Treat
This one is easy enough ! If you grow a garden or visit a grocery store store , pick up a Citrullus vulgaris , pumpkin or any prominent yield or vegetable . This broncobuster can be sizeable , as well as add preventative superfoods to your birds ’ dieting .
Take a watermelon or pumpkin , and cut it in one-half . I wish to put wild marjoram on top of the snub part because oregano boosts shuttlecock ’ resistant system . However , you’re able to use any topping you acknowledge your tidy sum enjoys — blueberry bush , strawberries , blackberries , herbs , mealworms , etc .
arrange it in your henhouse , and you ’re done ! This will keep your shuttle ’s attention for most if not all day .
During summertime , if I have to put my slew inside the coop for predator reasons , I habituate watermelon vine , cucumber , squash , zucchini and Ball of clams or cabbage . During pin and winter , I ’ll habituate Cucurbita pepo , Brassica oleracea italica , Brassica oleracea botrytis and dissimilar types of squelch uncommitted then .
Just a Swinging
Give them a chicken golf stroke and boredom begone ! you may corrupt a swing from many retailers , but they ’re so well-situated to make . I start with finding a 2- to 3 - column inch - thick branch or piece of wood . I ’ve also used baccy sticks when I ’ve had them usable .
I get one that ’s at least 3 foot in distance , so birds are n’t ping each other off to have a bit and everyone mystify a turn . Plus , they have the redundant stimulation of keeping their balance when another bird tries to start on .
Next , you ’ll need to notice some bale string or rope . connect a piece of R-2 on each destruction , and marry the other ends on a rafter that you have somewhere in the coop . If you do n’t have a rafter or stout pointedness to bond the other ends of forget me drug , you may necessitate to make a rack . you could do this easily with two 4x4s set into the ground and cut to the desired tiptop .
Lay another 4×4 across the top of those two , and screw or nail together . you may well attach your rope end to that .
Time for Toys
Give them toy ! Chickens have been recover to bevery intelligent and emotional creature . Chickens can function on the mental level the same asabout a human toddler .
If you are a parent , don’tthrow those miniature out just yet ! Some toddler toyscan keep your flock nurse for hours !
Throw in a mirror or two for added play . Some favorite that I have seen are toy xylophones , toddler pianos , stacking toys and rattles . Always think to keep the cage clear-cut of toys that have parting that could potentially be hen-peck off .
You do n’t want your quite a little absorb decorative man .
Read more : Keep birdie entertained with these fun and tasty Gallus gallus goody .
Hang, Man!
you’re able to do this buster many different ways . you could grease one’s palms large , pear-shaped garden truck and run away a rope through it , or you could grab a hay bag at your nearest provender - supply memory board and load it up ! I in the beginning carve a maw through the midsection of a pumpkin , head of cabbage or lettuce , or a small watermelon before hang them .
I circumstantially discovered the hay - bag method when I discovered my liberal - rangers were in the goat playpen and found the hay bag as a source of amusement . They were jumping up to clean hay out of the bag , and the idea strike to start one in my reproduction pens .
I find the hay bag much easy than the roofy method , and you’re able to add a diversity of treats to it . Get a humble netted hay bag and not the square sort . When I employ hay bags , I put apples , leafy greens , bananas , chard , carrots and things that I could find that would n’t settle out of the netting .
Jump Around
Give them something to jump on ! This Gallus gallus boredom buster can be free if you have logs around your place . It also doubles as a treat !
Place a few soapbox and access the cage . The different heights will keep them meddling , and they ’ll get kickshaw if any bug bunk out from under the barque on the logs . If you have an old wooden ladder , this can give your flock an activity also .
When I first began severely breeding and had to pen my fold up , I would rotate figure sawbuck in and out of their pen when I noticed they needed more foreplay . A pallet can also work to support their attention .
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
If you have old piddle bottles laying around , do n’t throw them away . Repurpose them !
perforate or burn holes around the exterior , and throw some mealworm or grubblies in it ! Make more than one , and place them in the coop ! Your flock will remain rich and busy pecking and roll out the bottle around to get out the treats .
Pile It On
A big pile of just about anything can hold their care for a bit . Hay , herb or even leaves give your flock joy by giving them something raw to nag and scratch through .
With chickens being as queer as they are , a new texture of just about anything they can spread around can keep them entertained for minute . Every twelvemonth I would trim back my lavender and have a big big bucks to let them pick and cabbage at . Helped with the coop smell as well . Linas T / Shutterstock
Build a Bath
To see well-chosen and healthy boo , make certain there is a dust bath somewhere in their run or in their pen area . This helps keep a passel in use for some time and keep leech off of your razz .
all right sand and dry dirt are the building blocks of a salutary junk bath . you may go the extra statute mile and throw in some herbs to keepyour birds smelling fresh . Many crybaby - keepers make rubble baths in different style . Some will get their birds make their own holes , others will put their ingredients in a tyre set on the basis , and many will use a kiddie pool .
Soil Their Pen
My friend ’s family has an in - run compost pile ! Any compost they have , they put in an area surrounded by wimp telegram with one side opened up .
My friend ’s flock get amusement for hours , and she gets really enriched grease to plant her tomato plant in ! She never has to grow it either because the chicken do it for her and even fertilise it as they scratch off .
Be Yourself
Just spending sentence with your flock offer them companionship and a change of pace . It ’s good as a ennui dude , and it can also be a confident encroachment on you as the chicken flock owner .
chicken are societal creatures by nature , so they can ground relationship with their caretaker . This also helps you with mental and physical well - being ! chicken can know up to 100 case so they can recollect who is who . BearFotos / Shutterstock
While chicken tedium baby buster keep birds interfering , they also help oneself with the overall health and happiness of you and your mess , ease damaging conduct and keep a flock busy for a long time to come .
More Information
If you farm a garden and have extra leftovers , freeze some as a cool treat during summertime and to dethaw and give during wintertime ! Do n’t forget berry and leafy green !
This clause originally seem in the January / February 2022 issue ofChickensmagazine .
