3 Strategies for Chicken Flock Entertainment
No one likes to be bored, least of all your chickens. Your birds are naturally curious creatures who are extremely good at making their own entertainment, but sometimes they need a little help. Toys, treats, and new things to explore can help your chickens feel more at home in their coop and run. Keep your flock happy—and therefore healthy and productive—with these strategies for chicken flock entertainment.
OFFER THEM TREATS
Who doesn’t love a good snack? Chickens love foraging and pecking at food, so toss in chicken treats for them every once in a while. Kitchen scraps such as pieces of fruits, vegetables, or bread make simple and easy snacks for your flock. Just be sure to double-check any foods you’re not sure of so that you don’t accidentally give them something harmful.
For added fun, you can tie bread or a head of cabbage to a string and let it hang in your coop or run. Your birds will get plenty of entertainment out of pecking and shredding it.
CHANGE UP THE LANDSCAPE
Your chickens spend every day in the same place, so why not change up the scenery once in a while? Install extra roosting bars in the run so that they have a place to sit up high while they’re out and about during the day.
You can also put large stones, tree stumps or logs, or other climbable objects in the run. This will give your chickens something new to explore. You can also set up a chicken swing for them in the coop—this can double as entertainment for you as you watch your birds play together.
GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO PECK AT
As we said above, chickens are extremely curious birds. They enjoy inspecting new things, which means one of the best strategies for chicken flock entertainment is to simply give them something new. There are plenty of fun chicken toys you can try, but you might also find items lying around your house.
Buckets, large fruits such as pumpkins or watermelons, or kids’ toys—including plastic rings and lightweight balls—all make great entertainment for your birds. If you find they aren’t interested in one thing, experiment with other ideas until you find something that piques their interest.
These ideas are about more than just entertainment. Toys and treats give your flock a way to let out their energy. This prevents aggressive behavior and keeps your birds happy and healthy. At Stromberg’s Chickens, we want to help everyone have the most successful flock possible. From chicken feed and medications to keep them healthy to chicken coop netting to keep them safe, we have everything you need for a happy flock.