Topic of the Week - Boredom Busters for Winter

[MROO]

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.

If Hubby fusses, remind him that every shovelful you take means several others turned. That not only saves him some effort, but lets you dig deeper for "the good stuff." Of course, he doesn't need to know that last part You're just being helpful, right?

 

[Nanook33]

If Hubby fusses, remind him that every shovelful you take means several others turned. That not only saves him some effort, but lets you dig deeper for "the good stuff." Of course, he doesn't need to know that last part You're just being helpful, right?

LOL

 

[cincyfarmgirl]

Having the ability to let them out in the snow really depends on how severe your winter gets. If it’s above 0F and snowing my chickens are out every day. The problem is every time it goes to subzero temperatures we have high winds (40-50mph gusts) and -40F to -60F wind chills even during the day. That is also the week we get dumped with feet of snow. I have to plow a path from my house to my barn through my lawn with my tractor. Last year it was almost waist deep on me and the 2” eave gap along the inside of my barn I forgot to close the wind drove in feet of snow not inches. Every year when it gets that cold I find dead birds in my lawn frozen solid like ice statues. I have also pulled dead bird bodies out from under my decks because they try to shelter underneath and freeze to death. If I were to let my chickens out in those conditions I would lose at least a couple.

Indeed, I believe Chickens do need a closed in but well ventilated shelter in times of storms. They can endure pretty cold temperatures as many have illustrated, but wetness and the wind chill factor could be the killer. But again, I do believe they need to be locked up occasionally to protect them from the cold, dampness and the windchill.

 

[MROO]

SCORE!!!! The ULTIMATE winter boredom busters!
I was out shoveling snow and asked my neighbors about the two intact pumpkins in their back yard. One is currently thawing in my kitchen. The other is in "cold storage" - frozen solid on my front porch ... ummm ... the pumpkins, not my neighbors!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Bag your Dried leaves for free enrichment to get through the winter. Lots of them! You'll thank me later! 12 bags was not enough for us last year! Hens LOVE scratching through the leaves with fresh scratch thrown down <3 I love to see them 'exercising' when its too bad out to do free range.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

• 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?

• I have a small plastic bottle with holes on the side and I will fill that with grubs and scratch that comes out when they knock around the bottle. They love it!
• I will sometimes give them some red cabbage or table scraps, but I have a basket to put it in rather than hanging it.
• I shovel paths to their food and water but they stay mostly under or in their coop. I only have 6 hens, so there is enough space for them to stay mostly in those two spots (by choice, I don't force it).
• One of their favorite activities is digging and eating Orchard Grass hay. I have a covered litter box and I fill that with hay and sprinkle some grubs, and I put it under the coop to keep it dry.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Sometimes I think the idea of chicken "toys" is taken to literally.

I do "Habitat Enrichment". Allows the chickens to express natural behavior...
My chickens enjoy having various places in the run to roost and dig/explore. The Christmas tree will go out to their run when it comes down. They get leaves, branches, stumps, wood chips, sand -- different substrates and natural materials at different heights and depths. And they get leafy greens, pumpkins, and oatmeal on really really cold mornings (watermelon on really really hot days) along with scraps like fruit and the rare shrimp peelings.

I'm in CT and I agree with you 100% here. Even just raking the run and exposing new ground seems to provide hours of enrichment. Winter time is STRAW season! Well, that and the dozens of bagged leaves I collected through the winter. I make 'paths' on top of the snow and urge everyone out out out!! Getting exercise in the winter is a daily goal of mine. Come On Girls, to the green house we go! Which by the way is a great addition to any garden with chickens. The green house is about 20 degrees warmer all winter long. I prep the green house with lots of straw and materials for daily visits <3