Topic of the Week - Boredom Busters for Winter

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

i live on the edge of a state forest and free range time is too important so I stay with the flock. (my 5 stick together like glue).
2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before roost. They walk, I follow. Some days we are out longer and this year I will finish our outdoor playground with hardware cloth and a cargo net 'roof'. I have 2 coops and situated it that so I can 'eventually' create this space in between. These days, my gals wont even leave their henhouse. they are COLD! Its 8 degrees this AM and I'm pullin' out ALL the stops. This is our third winter in CT and this AM i cracked and put a heated red lamp in their henhouse. First time ever. This makes me super nervous so I keep looking out the window. I figure a couple hours so everyone can have a bite to eat and drink and stuff themselves back into their nesting boxes. This afternoon its getting up to about 13 degrees for the warmest today

 

[UpstateChickenDaddy]

I’m with you. It is 10 here with a feels like of 6. Everyone was inside except my one loner hen who was outside. I picked her up and put her in the henhouse. She really wanted to go out so I locked the door. I use two panel heaters and a heated water dispenser. It is still quite chilly in the whole but it gives them the opportunity to get some warmth if they want it and there are few drafts especially where they sleep. They seem just fine. I could strangle my contractor who built the henhouse. But after this brutal spell is over I will make some repairs inside. As dusty as ours is I would indeed be very careful with a red bulb heater.

 

[Nanook33]

One might have thought that those who endured the various lockdowns during the initial Covid panic would have learned that even with the vast range of at home entertainments and possibly the freedom of a garden, forced confinement does lead to boredom and it seems in retrospect many other mental and physical health problems.
Zoos have gradually realised that confinement isn't suitable for many if not most of the species they keep, hence the zoo parks where much more space is available for the more obvious creatures that in their natural environment would range over acres or even square miles.
I've never understood why some people think chickens are immune from boredom and are quite content confined to whatever standard is in fashion at the time.
Chickens are by nature foraging creatures and will quite happily make use of an acre or more if allowed.
Rather than provide toys, which most of us had during the Covid lockdowns and which proved inadequate when it came to our health, let the chickens out, even in the snow if they'll go.
There is no substitute for freedom and no amount of toys can change compensate for the lack of it.

I would LOVE to do this............however, we have nasty, bird eating HAWKS just waiting to pounce on our girls & boy. Yes we have seen many, as they have swooped down & gotten baby rabbits in our Beagle running enclosure, tweety birds eating at their feeders & even grabbing a Fantail Pigeon through the wire, killing it (before we put netting all around). I just throw straw down (helps keep feet warm) then throw a little scratch feed down for them to find. I would love to know what else I can do to keep the flock busy & happy.

 

[Nanook33]

I’m with you. It is 10 here with a feels like of 6. Everyone was inside except my one loner hen who was outside. I picked her up and put her in the henhouse. She really wanted to go out so I locked the door. I use two panel heaters and a heated water dispenser. It is still quite chilly in the whole but it gives them the opportunity to get some warmth if they want it and there are few drafts especially where they sleep. They seem just fine. I could strangle my contractor who built the henhouse. But after this brutal spell is over I will make some repairs inside. As dusty as ours is I would indeed be very careful with a red bulb heater.

We use one of these, suspended from the ceiling away from everything. They are safe & do the job.

 

[UpstateChickenDaddy]

I would LOVE to do this............however, we have nasty, bird eating HAWKS just waiting to pounce on our girls & boy. Yes we have seen many, as they have swooped down & gotten baby rabbits in our Beagle running enclosure, tweety birds eating at their feeders & even grabbing a Fantail Pigeon through the wire, killing it (before we put netting all around). I just throw straw down (helps keep feet warm) then throw a little scratch feed down for them to find. I would love to know what else I can do to keep the flock busy & happy.

Agreed. Ours have the largest run and coop we could afford. We provide several grazing boxes. We offer place to go up and down. If we didn’t have the run with a roof and fencing not a one would be alive. The eagles and hawks have tried to get at them even through the roof. The foxes, coyotes, racoons, an albino skunk, and more all try to get in. I let them roam the garden that surrounds the run on days that aren’t covered in snow and when I can be out there, but I also work. We have only 9 chickens and the plan had been for 7. It was the crazy company that sent two extra that puffed out our numbers. We give them toys as an added bonus which they enjoy mostly because their treats are inside. I think we all do the best we can for our girls and boys. Healthy chickens who do not fight with one another and want to be with us as much as our cats seem to me to be a testament to good care whether they can truly free range or not.

 

[UpstateChickenDaddy]

We use one of these, suspended from the ceiling away from everything. They are safe & do the job.
View attachment 4012183

Great minds! I thought of that too. Those are as safe as you can get and powerful. We may wind up doing that.

 

[Nanook33]

Agreed. Ours have the largest run and coop we could afford. We provide several grazing boxes. We offer place to go up and down. If we didn’t have the run with a roof and fencing not a one would be alive. The eagles and hawks have tried to get at them even through the roof. The foxes, coyotes, racoons, an albino skunk, and more all try to get in. I let them roam the garden that surrounds the run on days that aren’t covered in snow and when I can be out there, but I also work. We have only 9 chickens and the plan had been for 7. It was the crazy company that sent two extra that puffed out our numbers. We give them toys as an added bonus which they enjoy mostly because their treats are inside. I think we all do the best we can for our girls and boys. Healthy chickens who do not fight with one another and want to be with us as much as our cats seem to me to be a testament to good care whether they can truly free range or not.

Absolutely! We have the same problems with wildlife. There's a "transparent" tarp over 3/4 of the run & that helps somewhat. But--we have heard a neighbor's chicken snatched up by a coyote & I hope never to hear that horrible scream the chicken made-ever again. It's terrible & there's nothing you can do to help the poor girl. (That neighbor free ranged & no longer lives here) We only have 8 chickens (7 girls & 1 roo) but I do not want to lose them. They'll have to be happy scratching away through the straw for their scratch feed.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Great minds! I thought of that too. Those are as safe as you can get and powerful. We may wind up doing that.

me too for that type heater. My chicken keeping arsenal is growing with each year. like a bag of tricks, ya know? Today I dug out a small brooder waterer to put in the hen house. Didnt even remember it being there. yea, i have a box fan for the summer but i do need a little supplemental heater plan just in case. having 7 hens in the living room just seems too warm for them!

 

[Wfoot]

View attachment 4001307

Long, cold days can lead to boredom in the flock. This week, let’s share ideas for keeping chickens entertained and active in winter. For example:

• What toys or items do you place in the run to keep your flock busy?
• Do you use hanging treats, pecking blocks, or other feed-based activities?
• How do you encourage movement and exercise when the ground is snow-covered or icy?
• What enrichment ideas have you found most effective in winter?

Anything else you'd like to add?

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

I'm still new to chicken keeping but so far letting them out of their run into a larger (but less secure) fenced area when I can keep a watch on them is good. I also have been giving them cabbage cores skewered on a stick and they peck on that until it has vanished!!
They are also getting a chicken swing for their run for Christmas.

 

[Nanook33]

I can't free-range, so mine are confined all year. During the growing season, they get grass clippings, weedings and garden goods. I can't do that in winter, so I toss in a big cabbage or pumpkin once a week or so to keep fresh food in their diet. I don't cut or break anything, which keeps them occupied for a day or so.
My coop and run aren't super huge, so I had to go "up" to keep them out of the cold, wet mess of our winters. I use stumps and big, twisted tree branches for roosting and hopping. They're straight from the tree, so I have to keep replacing them as nature takes its' course. Decomposing stumps are the favorites ... instant bug-fests!
Another winter distraction is my compost pile. A shovel or two of "hot" leaves makes for hours of busy scratching it around, looking for goodies. That's a bonus for me, too since it builds up the dirt floor they keep destroying!

Oh how I like the shovel of hot leaves idea. Worms maybe??? Hubby has a huge compost pile--I doubt he'd object if I borrow a shovelful for the birds! Thanks so much for the great idea.