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Mental stimulation for chickens???

post #1 of 12
6/14/12 at 11:32am
Thread Starter 

Everybody wants their meat chickens and laying hens to be physically tip top in their health, but I wonder if chickens benefit from some sort of mental stimulation when they are confined to their boring chicken house. I think happy creatures are probaby healthier creatures. Mine are only 2 weeks old and its still too cold up here to let them outside. I'm wondering if I should throw some colorful curiosities in their pen for them. Anybody got any input on this idea???hmm.png

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post #2 of 12
6/14/12 at 3:39pm

i wonder this too. i guess no one else thinks it is a big deal. maybe they really dont need it?

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post #3 of 12
6/14/12 at 3:44pm
ive always wondered this too i always give my chickens clumps of grass to go throw talk to them and pet them. one time i even put a strange object in thier pen to explore... silkies arent very good around strange new objects
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post #4 of 12
6/14/12 at 4:19pm

I strive to provide my birds some mental stimulation.  Some always involves some sort of challenge to get at food.   Different types of food also helps.  Some of my tamer birds have been trained to come to call and to go to certain locations for food.

Make every effort to understand your chicken's biology and the environment that supports it.
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Make every effort to understand your chicken's biology and the environment that supports it.
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post #5 of 12
6/14/12 at 6:11pm
Thread Starter 

Well they're so curious about things so maybe its good to give them unusual things to investigate.D.gif

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post #6 of 12
6/14/12 at 6:20pm

At such a young age, mental stimulation is hardly needed. At about a month, if you still think they need stimulation, put a low perch in there. They won't sleep on it, but they will play on it. Older birds do well with a food challenge, like centrarchid said. Somewhere on here there is a thread about hanging cabbage for them to entertain themselves while they get some good greens. Perfect!, but not at 2 weeks.........Pop

In God We Trust

Siyah Rampuri Asil, White Chinese, Emden, and African Geese, Guineas, a Rottweiler (Bella), and a Yellow Lab (Booger). Fifty five years with chickens and still learning.

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In God We Trust

Siyah Rampuri Asil, White Chinese, Emden, and African Geese, Guineas, a Rottweiler (Bella), and a Yellow Lab (Booger). Fifty five years with chickens and still learning.

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post #7 of 12
6/14/12 at 6:59pm
Try an old bathroom mirror. Mine use it to talk to themselves all the time. I kind of empathize. smile.png

My wife also made some seed and dried fruit cakes that I hand on a loose coil spring from the ceiling of their chicken tractor to drive'em crazy. It's free hanging and swinging and bobs up and down after each peck, so they have to aim at a moving target. Makes the treats last a little longer 'cuz they have to work for it instead of the stationary blocks, where they would literally just stand over them and practically peck til it was gone.

Just tryin' to be the guy my dogs think I am.

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Just tryin' to be the guy my dogs think I am.

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post #8 of 12
6/14/12 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lollipop View Post

At such a young age, mental stimulation is hardly needed. At about a month, if you still think they need stimulation, put a low perch in there. They won't sleep on it, but they will play on it. Older birds do well with a food challenge, like centrarchid said. Somewhere on here there is a thread about hanging cabbage for them to entertain themselves while they get some good greens. Perfect!, but not at 2 weeks.........Pop

hey is ur avatar the cover off of that albino animal book
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post #9 of 12
6/14/12 at 8:42pm
Thread Starter 

Ya they do have a couple of mini perches i put together for them. They use that

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post #10 of 12
6/15/12 at 10:01am

Mine also spend lots of time figuring out how to get out of my pen :-)
 

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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying › Mental stimulation for chickens???