Chicken play time

[2leggedroost]

Ok~ here is a good one. If you were a chicken and sat around all day, would you not get bored? How much time does eating and laying eggs take? We have a coop, 5 chickens and a large enclosed pen that they love. We are getting 5-6 eggs a day. They love the treats that we give them. I know for parakeets the stores have a whole department full of toys. We have roosts for them to sit on but that is about it. We don't let them run around free because we are next to woods and either the dog would get them or chicken hawks or fox or other critters. They get extremely excited when we go out with treats. It didn't take them too long to figure that out.

Also, what do you do in the winter when everything is frozen? Don't they freeze? We were thinking of keeping the coop fairly warm with a light bulb. Any ideas?

 

[Wynette]

If your coop is draft free, you shouldn't need additional heat sources. They will roost alongside each other and stay warm.

I have milk crates and plastic parts bins, among other things, that I put in my runs; I move them around once in awhile, lean them up against the wall, etc., to give them more things to jump on and explore. I also have bird suet feeders hung from the roof that I stuff veggies in for them to pull out. It takes them time, and gives them something to do, and they're getting a nutritious treat out of it, too.

 

[debilorrah]

Chickens are like labotamy victims on LSD - they stare at the ground until something moves then they peck it. Stare some more, peck some more. Then they dig a hole and fling dirt all over themselves. When they are really bored, they peck at their brothers and sisters butts.