Boredom Busters in Polar Vortex

[Samannemm]

I think someone already started a thread like this, but I couldn’t find it! Anyway, I have 3 hens (after a predator attack a few weeks ago took out my other hens) one black star, one red star, and one polish. I used to have two polish that would be picked on, but there were two of them and it wasn’t severe. Now that I only have one polish and this cold is happening, my other two hens are bored and being mean to her, especially my red star who is “the boss” of the gang now (except when I’m around). They will peck my polish for no reason and actually force my polish to sleep under the roosting bar and still peck her when she’s underneath them and has her head smashed into the corner in the bedding!! It’s been long enough now it’s no longer re-establishing the pecking order, but I think it’s a) my polish has never been the brightest bird in the bunch and she seems to do things to annoy the other hens without realizing she’s doing it and b) they’re so bored in this weather! We’ve had 2 1/2 straight weeks of subzero temps, although today was a whopping 12F degrees! Tomorrow is supposed to be 30F but with snow, which they hate except to eat it instead of using their nice heated nipple waterer I bought them over a week ago
I’ve given them a treat block to peck at and that worked for a very short time but then they were bored of that. I dumped dried leaves from the fall into their run and again that only worked for a short while. Not sure what I can do in order to fix this! I would normally crate my main bully and let her watch as the others carried on without her, but the weather is making that not a viable option right now. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[GC-Raptor]

Yeah, my 5 hens won't venture out in this cold. They have a raised coop and they hang out under it in this weather. . I have straw underneath and I have been
tossing mixed seeds under coop, scattered as best I can, three times a day in these sub freezing temps. So far so good, for over a week. GC

 

[Don't know]

Hi Samannemm, I'm reading your post with a bit of jealousy to be honest. The area I grew up in was always cold in winter, but these days rarely gets below freezing ( 2 or 3 times a year). And right now, in the middle of summer (I'm in Aus), we're absolutely tinder dry. Had trees dropping branches from heat stress. Everything's ready to go off like a bomb (bushfire, I mean). And I REALLY miss the cold! I'd take cold over hot any day of the week. (Though I met some people from Maine the other day and they were sick of the snow ...so go figure. The grass is always greener, huh?)