8 Healthy Boredom Busters for Chickens

Boredom can become an issue for homestead flock’s that have to be cooped up due to inclement weather. The winter months are an especially hard time to keep your flock entertained and active. Preventing boredom not only makes for a happy flock, but it also prevents issues like feather pulling, bullying, and obesity. Chickens are smart creatures, and keeping them active during the winter months will stimulate them both physically and mentally. Sometimes, however, boredom busters can be unhealthy or nonconstructive for your flock. I use these 8 healthy boredom busters for my chickens to keep them happy and healthy!

a Svart Hona hen perched on a wood branch with some pine boughs

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#1. Winter Jungle Gym

Constructing a jungle gym in your flock’s enclosure can provide your chickens with a fun and stimulating activity. Chickens love to explore new places and items as long as the items are familiar and don’t appear threatening. My chickens are very curious about whatever I add to their enclosure and they usually try it out shortly after I install the item.

To create a winter jungle gym for your flock, you will first need a fairly large, covered enclosure or area. Then you will need to collect some supplies to make the jungle gym out of. Here are just a few to get you started:

Logs, Branches, and Stumps– logs can function as balance beams, branches as perches, and stumps as preening posts
Tires– my chickens love the old tire I placed in their enclosure
Swings– you can make a swing out of a flat board or buy a chicken swing!
Chutes and Ladders– ramps (chutes) can be made out of flat boards and ladders can be made out of branches, boards, or old ladders
Dust Bathe– tires and boxes can be filled with sand, clean dirt, or potting soil (w/o vermiculite) to make a nice dust bath spot, rocks, stumps, or branches can be fashioned into a dust bath spot too

Safety First:

Any of the materials you use to create the jungle gym should be safe for your flock. Logs, stumps, branches and boards should not have any splinters or protruding pieces that could cut a chicken. Make sure the jungle gym items cannot tip over or be pushed over.

Swings should be placed in an area where they won’t bump into anything and in a spot where other chickens can easily get around the swing so that they are not hit. Ramps should not be slippery and smooth. The jungle gym should be able to withstand some rough chicken play without harming the chickens!

That being said, I’m sure your flock will love whatever you set up for them! Changing, switching up, moving, replacing, or adding elements throughout the winter will keep your flock on their toes!

a Svart Hona hen standing next to a jar of red bulbs

#2. Chicken Training

Training your chickens will keep them mentally stimulated, however, training a chicken will require some time commitment on your part! I love training my chickens and throughout the years I have come to realize that some chicken breeds and individuals are easier to train than others.

There are many things you can train your chickens to do, some of them can even be incorporated into the winter jungle gym mentioned above! Train your flock to come when called, teach one to do an obstacle course, show them how to peck at certain colors or shapes, the options are endless! Check out these 7 things to train your chickens to do!

While this post covers the secret to training chickens, you can follow these basic tips for training your chickens to start with:

When picking out an individual to train, choose one whom you know loves food. Food motivation is very helpful for training chickens!
Use high value treats for training. Food that your flock loves will be more useful for training than mediocre foods.
Train in a low distraction, familiar area.
Take your time and keep the training sessions short.
Train your chicken(s) to respond to a certain cue, such as a clicker, clapping your hands, shaking a treat bag, snapping your fingers, etc..

I had the most fun teaching my Black Sex Link hen, Amigo, to do an obstacle course. The obstacle course included a tunnel, a jump, a ramp, and a teeter totter. I introduced Amigo to each obstacle one at a time over several days. She was very motivated by sunflower seeds and mealworms and she quickly learned to do all of the obstacles! I could even switch up the order of the obstacles and she would still do them!

a yellow treat ball for chickens with some healthy chicken treats

#3. Natural Treat Balls

Treat balls are a great way to keep your flock mentally and physically stimulated. There are several ways you can make a treat ball for your flock. I have 2 store bought treat balls that are yellow. They open in the middle so that I can fill them easily. At either end they have small openings that the chickens peck at to get the treats out.

I hang the treat balls up in my flock’s enclosure for them to use. You can also make your own treat ball out of a plastic bottle. Just punch or drill holes into a clean plastic bottle, fill the bottle with treats, and let your flock have fun!

Chickens can be wary of new items in their enclosure, so it may take a little bit for your flock to learn how to use a treat ball. You may have to teach them that if they move or peck at the treat ball, good food comes out! My flock was initially scared of the hanging yellow balls in their enclosure, but once they learned that food come out of the ball, they had a blast!

A few certain hens in my flock even learned to grab the end of the ball and to twist it so that it would break open and they could get at the treats faster. To keep treat balls healthy, you must choose healthy treats to fill the balls with. Here are some healthy treats you can put in the treat ball:

whole grain layer feed
scratch grains
seeds- sunflower or pumpkin
mealworms or black soldier fly larvae
healthy store-bought treats for chickens

Make sure you vary what treats you put in the treat balls every day. Too muh of any one treat can lead to health issues and an unbalanced diet.

the complete guide to winter chicken keeping ebook

an orange scoop of chicken scratch for chickens

#4. Chicken Feed Scratch (healthy)

Scratch is a common treat used to entertain chickens during the winter, but scratch is not the healthiest treat and should not be fed on a regular basis. I have found that an equally favored treat to replace scratch with is a whole grain chicken feed. A whole grain chicken feed contains grains that have not been processed, broken down, or ground up.

Choose a feed that is different than what you normally feed your flock. I feed my flock an organic layer mash, which has some whole grains and some ground up grains. Some of the feeds that I use for a ‘scratch’ treat include CedarCrest Farm and Feed layer feed and Scratch and Peck layer feed. Both feeds are composed solely of whole grains which my chickens love!

Chicken feed scratch can be used as a boredom buster in several ways. Tossing a few handfuls into some straw will leave your flock hunting for hours. Putting the feed into a treat ball will challenge your flock mentally. You can even make yummy treats out of the feed for your flock!

With that being said, there is a time and place for scratch grains. Scratch grains can be given to your flock when they are drawing heavily on extra energy reserves to stay warm, such as during periods of cold stress. Scratch grains are very high in energy but low in other nutrients, so the high energy is helpful on occasion but it does not come accompanied by other essential nutrients. Thus it should not be fed on a regular basis.

a lavender Orpington hen foraging through straw in the enclosure

#5. Flakes of Straw

I didn’t realize how much entertainment chickens can get out of just a few flakes of straw! Many northern homesteaders will use straw as a winter time litter in the chicken coop. Even if you don’t use straw as a litter in your coop, you can still use straw as a boredom buster. Use the deep litter method in your flock’s outside enclosure to keep them both entertained and warm.

My flock thinks straw is like candy. As soon as they see me walking towards their enclosure with a flake of straw, they all hover around the door, waiting for me to toss the flake into their enclosure! Then they like to play ‘king of the straw flake’ as they spread the straw around.

Keep these tips in mind when using straw:

get your straw from a reputable source so that it doesn’t contain external parasites
straw that is left in the enclosure needs to be stirred frequently so that no wet mats form and so that droppings don’t get matted down on top
buy several straw bales in the fall when they are cheaper, then periodically give your flock a few flakes throughout the winter
make sure you buy straw, not hay (straw is a litter, hay is a livestock feed)

a flock of chicken eating soaked chicken feed out of a white bowl

#6. Healthy Flock Block Bowls

I am sure you have seen or heard of flock blocks that you can buy for your chickens. While flock blocks can be a fun treat for your flock occasionally, there are some healthier, cheaper substitutes. Instead of buying my flock a flock block, I make them a flock block bowl.

A flock bowl can be made out of layer feed, whole grains, and/or seeds. Flock block bowls are not typically square or even block shape. Instead, you serve them up in a bowl! Flock block bowls are kind of like a giant pot of oatmeal, except healthier, for your chickens. How big you make your flock bowl depends on how many chickens you have and what you’re making the bowl out of.

There are several things you can make into a flock block bowl. Chicken feed in mash or whole grain form (not pellets or crumbles) can be made into a flock block bowl and are the healthiest options. You can also make a mix of whole grains and seeds into a flock block bowl.

Here is how I make a flock block bowl for roughly 24 chickens:

Flock Block Bowl Instructions:

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 4 cups of chicken feed. (You will want to do this in less quantities if you are using whole grains and seeds since the chickens don’t need as much of those foods)
Stir continually as the feed absorbs the water and thickens.
Once thickened to the desired consistency (usually like oatmeal) allow the mixture to cool slightly. I like to wait until it is about room temperature.
Pour into a large bowl and serve to your flock! Add some healthy toppings like a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or ginger if you want!

The flock block bowl that I make for my flock usually lasts them a whole day. If I make the bowl out of layer feed, I can usually remove their feeder during the morning since they have the flock block bowl to munch on. Providing a flock block bowl gives your chickens something to munch on throughout the day and keeps them entertained (just like a flock block).

the complete guide to frostbite for backyard chickens

a jar of red cranberries next to some mushrooms and a small pumpkin

#7. Berry Beneficial Garland

Garland is another fun boredom buster that can keep your flock entertained for hours. However, there are a couple precautionary measures you must take when using garland. Whatever you do, DO NOT use string to make the garland unless you plan on monitoring your flock the entire time that they are enjoying the garland.

String breaks easily and can get swallowed by a chicken or tangled around an appendage or even a tongue! Make your garland out of a sturdy material, like wire. You should still keep an eye on and check on your flock frequently when they are enjoying a garland.

There are many treats that you can make into a garland, but choosing healthy ones will keep your flock from becoming fat and provide them with some nutrition too. Two fun health foods that you can turn into a garland include berries and leafy greens. Berries provide your flock beneficial vitamins and nutrients. Leafy greens are low in calories and are very hydrating, which is important during cold weather.

My flock loves any kind of berry and will chow down on leafy greens when they haven’t been able to free-range in a while! Other fruits, like apples or pears, can also be added to a garland. Leafy greens and vegetables that make a good garland include cabbage pieces, slices of cucumber, partially cooked pumpkin pieces, broccoli florets, lettuce, kale, and bok choy. Tomatoes also go well on a garland and chickens love them!

a speckled Sussex hen standing on top of a straw bale next to some gourds

#8. Whole Wholesome Veggies

Vegetables are great winter treats that can easily be made into interactive boredom busters. Whole, raw vegetables will provide your flock with beneficial vitamins and nutrients to keep them healthy. Ideally, organic vegetables will be the healthiest and most nutritious to offer your flock.

Leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, are low in calories but full of vitamins! Vegetable treats can be offered more often since they are less likely to make your flock fat or cause a dietary imbalance. They also help make up for the leafy greens that your flock’s diet is lacking in when they aren’t free-ranging.

Here are some great boredom buster ideas that involve veggies:

Putting sprouts or fodder in a clean suet cage will keep your flock pecking at the greens for hours!
Place a whole pumpkin, zucchini, or winter squash out in the enclosure and watch your flock nibble away!
Hang up a lettuce head, cabbage head, or broccoli head for your flock to have an edible pinata to peck at! (make sure you use wire or rope that will not break)
Thread some spinach leaves, kale leaves, and other leafy greens onto some wire for a ‘salad on a string’.

Tips For Using These Healthy Boredom Busters

Boredom busters don’t have to be unhealthy for your flock! A common theme I see in a lot of chicken boredom busters is that they often involve treats. Now, not all treats are unhealthy (I’ve included healthy treats in the 8 boredom busters listed above) but all treats need to be fed in moderation. Any treat will dilute the total nutrients provided by a complete chicken feed. You will need to keep a healthy balance between treats and entertainment.

Managing healthy boredom busters is simple and you should be able to easily keep your flock healthy and entertained throughout the winter.

Treating Tips:

Rotate these 8 healthy boredom busters throughout the weeks of winter. Do two boredom busters one week, two different ones the next week, and so on.
If you do a boredom buster that includes treats on one day, do a boredom buster that does not involve treats the next day.
Your flock doesn’t have to be entertained every day! Also, some boredom busters can last more than one day, like the winter jungle gym.
Use whole grain chicken feed in substitute for mealworms, seeds, or other treats. You can still offer those other treats in moderation, but if you want a healthier option that you can use on a more regular basis, use whole grain chicken feed.
Take a look at these winter diet considerations and see if you can incorporate them into healthy boredom busters!
Just spending time outside with your flock is entertaining for both them and you!

These 8 healthy boredom busters for chickens will help keep your flock happy and healthy throughout the winter! A stimulated and entertained flock will be less likely to develop bad habits such as pecking each other, bullying, or egg eating. Keeping your flock mentally and physically active will help prevent obesity throughout the winter and will encourage your flock to get outside and get some fresh air. Encouraging them to get active at least once a day will help improve their circulation and prevent frostbite. At the same time, a healthy boredom buster that provides energy will keep them from burning extra energy they need to stay warm. Boredom busters are perfect for keeping your flock healthy and warm! I am sure your flock will enjoy these boredom busters. They will keep both you and your flock entertained for hours!

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by Alexa