Birdy Boredom Busters

Mental enrichment is good for any species of animal, and can be great at preventing problems within your flock. I have come up with a few ideas that I've used to keep my birds' minds busy that can be used all year long, and can come in handy especially during hot summer days and snowy winter days as well.

The first and perhaps most simple idea is to hang shiny objects such as CDs in your chickens' living space. They love the reflections and will look at them often. For some reason these types of things fascinate chickens. As you can see here, I've just tied a CD to the roof of my run using a piece of yarn, but you can use any shiny object as long as it isn't sharp.

One of the most fun boredom busters to watch is a treat ball. They have one of these on the market sold just for chickens, but my birds found it too easy. I use a treat ball made for dogs and cats which has adjustable holes to make the delivery of the treats easier or more challenging. I fill it with scratch, or cat food, or any other treat, and as the birds roll the ball around the treats fall out. It was amazing to watch how quickly they learned to use it, and fun to watch them play with it now. They recognize when I bring it out and get very excited.

Finally, the last boredom buster is a chicken swing. You can build your own, or you can buy one from Fowl Play Products at https://www.fowlplayproducts.com/the-chicken-swing.html. The chickens love to perch on the swing, and actually learn to pump it, to make it move. This product would be great in summer to allow the air to cool their underside.

(picture taken from Fowl Play Products homepage)