Do chickens get bored??

[geese'n'chickenlovr]

Hey,I was wondering,do chickens get bored just scratching at dirt all day?I would think I should put like crickets,mealworms,sunflower seeds,ect. so that they have more to scratch at.I heard that in the Winter,You should hang a thing of cabbage about a couple inches above their heads so that they have something to jump up and eat,and have fun in the coop.

Any other suggestions??

 

[Davaroo]

geese'n'chickenlovr :

Hey,I was wondering,do chickens get bored just scratching at dirt all day?I would think I should put like crickets,mealworms,sunflower seeds,ect. so that they have more to scratch at.I heard that in the Winter,You should hang a thing of cabbage about a couple inches above their heads so that they have something to jump up and eat,and have fun in the coop.

Any other suggestions??

Well Ive asked them, and they aren't talking.

The answer is yes, in thier own chickeny way. It isnt a thing that really has any harmful effect and you don't need to stress over it. Just give them some varied green feeds and a few things to scratch around after and they will be fine.​

 

[Jen71]

I asked this very same question last week and got lots of great responses.
Yes - they do get bored. Yes - there are things we can do to keep them active.
There are many things you can do to add variety to your chickens' life.

Here is the link to that post:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=325532&p=1

Hope this helps!

 

[underground chickenman]

Yes, they can get bored, but not from scratching. They can get bored from not enough area to scratch. Boredom from scratching usually occurs because where they are kept is all scratched out. They will be in heaven if they have a never-ending supply of good green grass and brush to hunt and peck through. If they get too bored, they will peck at each other and pick feathers. You will end up with bald bottoms and necks. Make sure they have plenty of room for starters. You can also hang a large head of cabbage a few inches above head height and they will jump up and peck at that all day.

UGCM

 

[geese'n'chickenlovr]

thanks for the replies,this has really helped me