How do I keep my chickens from being bored?

[Flock Master64]

Hello!

I have 3 Amber Link hens, 1 White Leghorn hen, 1 Buff Brahma pullet, 1 Olive Egger pullet, 1 Chocolate Cuckoo cockerel. I was wondering how to keep them from being bored while they're locked up in their run. Usually they are free range but I've been having some bad weather latley so I've kept them locked up. All they do during the day is lay in the same spot. I was thinking about getting and old trailler tire and filling that with sand so they could have a bust bath but I currently don't have one of those. They do have a toy ball that I fill with treats and when they kick it around the treats come out, but I only have one and they don't like to share it. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[redsoxs]

I typed 'bored chickens' into the BYC search box and several old threads popped up. Might give that a try. Here's a link to one with a lot of replies. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/733667/how-to-occupy-my-bored-chickens
Some folks suspend a head of cabbage. Some folks even install chicken swings!
Good luck to you.

 

[chickens really]

What I do to entertain the ladies....I have horses so have a few alfalfa bales...These are a couple winter time boredom busters...I put a flake of alfalfa in the run and hide scratch in it...They love scratching and pecking the dry grasses...I give a pumpkin or squash with a couple of holes and they peck that clean..
As far as thinking you need a tire? Not really, you can dig out an indent in the run and fill with a mix of sand and dirt...I have a sand run and I add my ashes from my wood stove and fire pit..If your birds like shiny things? Old scratched CDs hung by string can entertain them....Mirrors...I have stumps and a swing with roosts in my run....

Cheers!

 

[Flock Master64]

Thanks for the advice, I put a few logs in this morning and they were jumping on those

 

[chickens really]

Thanks for the advice, I put a few logs in this morning and they were jumping on those

Brain storm....An old wooden chair, wooden ladder, all kinds of things entertain a Chicken...

Cheers!

 

[rosemarythyme]

They're quite easy to entertain. Treats they have to work on/work for is super popular with chickens of course, and as others mentioned they love climbing on things like branches. digging through dirt and grass, etc. I was cleaning out the run this morning and had a paper bag and a rake in there, and whichever I wasn't using they were trying to play with - pecking on the rake, pulling on the handles of the bag. I wouldn't leave those in as toys but just goes to show that anything "new" is interesting to them.