Topic of the Week - Boredom Busters for Winter

[BYC Project Manager]

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

 

[aart]

My run does not have a solid roof, it does have a small (8x8') portion under the coop. We get a lot of snow so I shovel a good bit(~20 x 8') as well as a path down the entire 50' length(mostly to be able to clear the mesh roof if snow sticks).

I've never free ranged so their confinement area is the pretty much the same all year around. My coop is big enough for my flock not to be crowded during terrible winter storms when they can't go out into the run. I planned it that way and over the years have learned how many birds are comfortable in there.

I've never used food/treats as 'boredom busters'.
Toys? Pfft.
Chickens don't get bored, their keepers do.

If/when it gets icy I'll toss down some shavings or sand.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I buy wild chum salmon for my chickens and over the winter toss them some usually a fillet or two a week. I add wooden saw horses for extra perching room. They love to hop between all of the different perch heights when they are locked in on the subzero days.

 

[Shadrach]

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.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

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.

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.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't worry about boredom as far as their mental happiness and joy. I worry about them attacking and injuring or killing each other due to being packed in too tightly. Each chicken is an individual and each flock has its own dynamics. Different flocks need different amounts of room. I do not believe that these magic numbers we read about all the time work for each and every chicken and each and every flock around the world. A lot of the time they are overkill, even in winter. Sometimes they do not provide enough room.

My "boredom buster" is to provide as much room as I reasonably can, whether that is in the coop, in the run, or in both. I may have over 50 chickens at one time in summer and I have facilities to handle that in summer. I typically overwinter a flock or 7 to 10 chickens. My facilities can handle that with my worst winter weather.

 

[User690263]

My chickens don't seem to mind the snow. They have a couple of plastic milk crates in their yard that they like to roost on, and sometimes I'll toss some hay in their run, which they find very interesting it seems
When I have one, I will also sometimes give them a pumpkin to peck at, which keeps them occupied for a while.

 

[ChickyWhicky]

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.

X2 sometimes its literally not an option. I am blessed that my coop is attached to my horse barn, so we put a door that opens from inside the barn so they can plop around in there when its subzero or too deep of snow. Otherwise, they would have no option to leave the coop. Providing the "toys" or whatever boredom busters for enrichment is totally an A+ idea. Never hurts!

 

[MROO]

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!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

X2 sometimes its literally not an option. I am blessed that my coop is attached to my horse barn, so we put a door that opens from inside the barn so they can plop around in there when its subzero or too deep of snow. Otherwise, they would have no option to leave the coop. Providing the "toys" or whatever boredom busters for enrichment is totally an A+ idea. Never hurts!

We are both in Iowa so it makes sense I used to live up north and thought lake effect weather was bad. Now after living in Iowa when I go back home I think the winters back home are warm even with the blizzards. I only bring a light coat when I visit because the lack of harsh winds makes everything feel much warmer. My mom called the other day and said “it's very cold outside and so windy”. I asked how cold and windy it was and she said 20mph winds with 20F temps. I don’t even consider that windy or cold anymore