How to entertain teenager chickens

[Chickens-are-cool]

So my chicks are about 2 1/2 months old and are working on establishing the pecking order.
Because of this some of them peck at each other and I am a little worried. My last flock did this too and eventually worked it out so I am not too worried but I do need some ideas on how to entertain them to stop them from pecking each other?

 

[sourland]

Hang a cabbage for them to peck at or give them a Flock Block.

 

[FortCluck]

Make sure that you have lots of hiding places so that the ones that are being picked on the most have a place to hide.

You can get things to hang lettuce in or tie a string through a whole head of lettuce or cabbage for them to pick at.

Get a whole water melon and smash it open for them to pick at.

Make chicken swings or make outdoor roosting bars.

Here are some BY articles to help you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...important-and-how-you-can-provide-them.66136/


https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ke-your-run-more-fun-for-your-chickens.67370/

 

[Jeepcarpenter]

Having roosts at the same level has helped our pecking order stabilize rather than incurring more tension, but we still have separate groups or cliques in the flock (3wk older Marans)[barred rocks]<everyone else>
At 2.5-3months there was a lot of disruption, more-so after losing the lead Roo shortly thereafter.
Hanging cabbage/veggie pinata’s, adding chicken swings, additional outdoor roosts of trimmed tree branches, a few well-placed mirrors and most was sorted.. to us the final piece of the puzzle was keeping the henhouse roostbars the same level, no higher ground (if you happen to have space to do so).

 

[M Brennen]

Hang a cabbage for them to peck at or give them a Flock Block.

I just did this and was also going to suggest it. They loved it!

 

[M Brennen]

Having roosts at the same level has helped our pecking order stabilize rather than incurring more tension, but we still have separate groups or cliques in the flock (3wk older Marans)[barred rocks]<everyone else>
At 2.5-3months there was a lot of disruption, more-so after losing the lead Roo shortly thereafter.
Hanging cabbage/veggie pinata’s, adding chicken swings, additional outdoor roosts of trimmed tree branches, a few well-placed mirrors and most was sorted.. to us the final piece of the puzzle was keeping the henhouse roostbars the same level, no higher ground (if you happen to have space to do so).

The maple tree branches we did worked great!

 

[NewBoots]

My birds love kale, I tie bundles up it that swing freely. The girls love it. I fork up a 5 gal bucket of wood chips (lots of tiny creepy crawlies) and dump it in a pile and let them kick it apart. A flake of alfalfa pretty much works the same way but instead of bugs they get the yummy crunchy leaves. Pull a bunch of weeds (including the roots and dirt) and toss them into the run. Sprinkle cracked corn on the ground so they have to hunt and scratch for it. Do two or three of these things at the same time and sit down and watch chicken tv.