Heavy snow, bored chickens, now feather pecking each other

[IdahoPrepper]

My whole coop-run if full of snow. I snow shoveled some walking areas for them but its not enough. They have no ground to scratch and peck (frozen) and they hate walking in deep snow. I cleared some walking areas that are maybe 2' x 20' (2). Thats the best I can do. There is no free range area that isnt under 3 feet of snow. So the little pricks are pecking out each others feathers.

What can I do?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have room in your coop to hang a cabbage?
A suet basket or something similar hung can be filled with apple, leafy greens, cabbage or something else that they have to peck/pick at.
You could also put a dishpan of dirt/sand to take a dust bath.

Here are couple of links to HenCam:

http://hencam.com/faq/cold-weather-care/

http://hencam.com/henblog/2014/03/winter-dust-bath/

 

[Lofty Dreams]

How is your coop set up, do your birds have perches or anything to hop on? How many birds do you have in your coop and what are you feeding them in terms of protein?

I have scratch feed for my flock to encourage them to till their litter once I scatter it on the ground and in the past had a toy with cabbage inside and a little bell; my birds are kept inside over winter except during the nicer days where I open their doors.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Lofty Dreams good idea. Scratch in the bedding will encourage them to hunt for treats instead of picking on each other

I also forgot to add, I read/saw somewhere chickens don't like to walk on snow/ice (who does?) so put some straw or hay on the walkways that you shoveled, that may encourage them to at least get outside for a little while.