Chickens are bored!

[Keys2Hades]

It seems that overnight my chickens have decided they’re bored. They’ve started pecking each other (I can see it on their combs and the hens have been plucking the rooster) they have enough space, and the have roosts and a couple things to jump on in the run, but with cold weather setting in, they’re spending more time in the coop. How can I entertain them?

 

[CluckerFamily]

Do you have a light on in the coop while they are roosting? They can't see if it is dark.
Chances are they are figuring out their pecking order... it adjusts constantly.
Some boredom busters could be adding things to the run: stumps, chairs, etc.
Some times I will take a plastic water bottle that I drill holes into and fill with feed. They scratch it around and the feed will fall out.

 

[Hei 20]

It seems that overnight my chickens have decided they’re bored. They’ve started pecking each other (I can see it on their combs and the hens have been plucking the rooster) they have enough space, and the have roosts and a couple things to jump on in the run, but with cold weather setting in, they’re spending more time in the coop. How can I entertain them?

Maybe they can become members in BYC. LOL

 

[Keys2Hades]

Do you have a light on in the coop while they are roosting? They can't see if it is dark.
Chances are they are figuring out their pecking order... it adjusts constantly.
Some boredom busters could be adding things to the run: stumps, chairs, etc.
Some times I will take a plastic water bottle that I drill holes into and fill with feed. They scratch it around and the feed will fall out.

We leave the light on from four (when it gets dark) until about eight when we check on them at night. So maybe we leave it on too much at night? The dark spots on their combs seems a bit excessive to me. My sister has chickens who bloodied another one bad enough that she had to quarantine it. I don’t want to interfere with their pecking order, but I also would rather not have to quarantine a chicken. I’ll try that for them! I bet they’d like it.

 

[cinnamoncockatiel]

Article on BYC of chicken boredom busters.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-complete-list-of-boredom-busters.76129/

 

[CluckerFamily]

We leave the light on from four (when it gets dark) until about eight when we check on them at night. So maybe we leave it on too much at night? The dark spots on their combs seems a bit excessive to me. My sister has chickens who bloodied another one bad enough that she had to quarantine it. I don’t want to interfere with their pecking order, but I also would rather not have to quarantine a chicken. I’ll try that for them! I bet they’d like it.

Do you leave the light on so that they lay throughout the shortened sunlight days?

 

[Keys2Hades]

Article on BYC of chicken boredom busters.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-complete-list-of-boredom-busters.76129/

Thank you!

 

[Keys2Hades]

Do you leave the light on so that they lay throughout the shortened sunlight days?

Yes, that’s why we do it.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Yes, that’s why we do it.

It will be tough/impossible to stop the pecking with the lights still on.

 

[Keys2Hades]

It will be tough/impossible to stop the pecking with the lights still on.

Okay, maybe I’ll try shortening the time with the lights on and see what happens. Thank you so much!