Chicken Winter Enrichment Activities

Chickens stuck inside their chicken run because of cold, snowy weather?

I have a few enrichment activities to keep them out of each others "hair!"

When temperature drops, boredom can creep into the chicken coop. Snow and mud can cover scratching spots, bugs disappear and daylight hours shorten- all of which limit your flock's foraging behaviors. Boredom in chickens isn't just a mood issue: it can lead to feather picking, stress and even reduced egg production.

But here's the good news: you don't need fancy treats, kitchen scraps or gimmicks to keep them entertained. In fact, the safest and healthiest winter enrichment comes from using exactly what they should be eating- their nutritionally complete chicken feed.

Here's how to turn their regular chicken feed into hours of flock-approved winter fun.

A chickens full time job is eating. There are plenty of different foods to offer them but the healthiest way to ensure they are getting all 38 nutrients they require everyday, is their chicken feed.

I do not feed my chickens any other foods, they are fed chicken feed only and I know they are getting everything they require. If you feed them other things, even healthy things, they are now loosing out on particular nutrients they require to keep up a strong immune system. The other foods are now diluting the perfect balance from their feed. There will eventually be repercussions from them missing those nutrients.

You can not tell if a chicken is healthy just by looking at them. Good nutrition starts on the inside.

BOREDOM BUSTERS

1. Mental Stimulation

Enrichment Activity 1- I put their chicken feed in a large dog bowl and add water to it, I make a porridge type consistency for them. They gobble it up like they haven't eaten in days.

Enrichment Activity 2- Take an empty gatorade bottle and cut small holes around it, just large enough for chicken feed to come out but not too large because you don't want the feed to spill out easily. Fill the bottle with their chicken feed and throw it in their run. It might take a bit for them to catch on but soon as they realize there is food inside the bottle they will knock the bottle around and try to get the feed out. Chicken Soccer.

Enrichment Activity 3- Cage Cups. The feed cups used for budgie cages.

I hang them around the perimeter of the chicken run. It gives the birds a chance to be spread out around the run to get feed without having to deal with the pecking order. It's offered in a different presentation, which makes it more interesting to them.

(If you look closely, you can see one of the green cage cups hanging on the side of the run.)

Make sure to remove any leftover feed by the end of the day as to not attract rodents.

Chickens are food motivated and only have 250 taste buds, we have 9000. Chickens do not have teeth and swallow their food whole. We mix our food with saliva and chew it to perceive the flavours. That is why chickens do not need variety in their diet. They don't taste their food the same way we do.

So taking this information and realizing chickens and humans eat for different reasons. They eat to survive, we eat to survive also but also for others reasons ( Ex. Social settings)

2. Climbing Areas

   
   

Winter days are long and dark- giving your flock more things to explore helps prevent boredom.

• Add low, sturdy roosts or ladders for chickens to hop onto.

• Offer platforms, tree stumps or crates at different heights for safe climbing and roosting variety.

• Old wooden chairs with the seat cut out provides a good roosting spot.

3. Keep it Cozy

   Sometimes the best enrichment is simply making their environment more comfortable.

   
   

   * Ensure there's always access to clean, water and a balanced diet which they receive from their nutritionally complete chicken feed. Their chicken feed aids in keeping them warm: the colder it gets, the more feed they will consume. Calories provide heat, so the more they eat, the more calories they burn, and the more body heat they produce.

   
   

   * Wrap the run in contractors plastic to keep the rain, snow and wind out. Enclosing their run also helps them retain body heat. The plastic shields them from the wind and prevents their feathers from being ruffled. When the wind ruffles their feathers, its steals the heat they've generated between their skin and feathers. This is why they appear puffed up on colder days, as they've trapped heat against their skin.

   The contractors plastic also acts like a greenhouse on sunny days.

   
   

4. Why Only Use Their Complete Feed?

   
   

   Offering random treats during the winter (or anytime) may feel like an enrichment, but it can accidently unbalance their diet, reduce protein intake or lead to obesity. Using only their formulated chicken feed ensures your flock gets the precise nutrients needed for egg production, feather health and overall well being- all while still enjoying enrichment activities that encourage natural behaviors.

   
   
   
   

Final Thoughts

Winter is a quieter season for backyard chickens, but it doesn't have to be a boring one. With a little creativity, you can transform their regular feed into safe and stimulating activities that keep them busy, healthy and happy- no extra treats or scraps required.

Healthy enrichment doesn't just fill time; it supports better flock behavior, reduces stress and keeps your hens thriving through the coldest months of the year.

Bowl for Enrichment Activity- Winter Boredom Buster (fill with their chicken feed and add water)

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Cage Cups for Enrichment Activity- Winter Boredom Buster (hang on walls in chicken run and fill them with their chicken feed)

Check out all the tools we use in the chicken yard to make daily maintenance easier and more efficient.

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Winter Activities With My Flock

In these photos, my chickens were confined to their run, mainly because of the wind. I have a large combed Welsummer rooster and it would not take much for his comb to get frostbite from the wind. The current temperature outside is -4 and with the windchill it's -10. I have a thermometer in my run, it is +4 inside with sun shining in. Very comfortable for them at that temperature.

A Gatorade bottle with about 6 small holes cut into it in

different areas around the bottle and filled

with chicken feed.

Chicken Soccer

My Ladies enjoying their watered down chicken feed as an enrichment activity.

*Bowl of Porridge*