Chickens get bored! The first fresh eggs you collect is likely a highlight of your day! It certainly is for me. Yet sometimes the flock is stressed and if you want to avoid behavior that results from boredom (pecking) you should consider hanging food in your coop. You literally just need food.
During molting season in the fall and winter are a few times during the year when there just aren't a lot of scratching and pecking opportunities. The summer temperatures are hot for chickens! They thrive in cooler temperatures so the heat can be stressful too.
A good rule of thumb when it comes to treats and foraging, limit treats to 10 percent of their diet. You never want treats to be their meal.
Below are materials for this DIY project. Please let us know if you have questions as we have one hanging in our coop every few days. This project was originally posted on the City Girl Farming blog.
Materials
The materials are very simple.
The whole process should take less than 20 minutes.
- Cabbage
- Drill (to drill a hole through the cabbage)
- Rope (I'd be a long one pending where you want to hang it in the coop)
- Chickens
Staff note: Always watch your chickens as you don't want them eating the rope or twine and getting tangled up in it is possible.
DIY directions
- Drill a hole through the cabbage
- Run a rope or twine through the cabbage
- Hang it low enough so the chickens can peck at it and taste it
- Then hang it a little higher so they have to jump a little to grab it
I've tried the treat balls and I honestly don't think they work very well! This hanging cabbage ball is the best "toy" I've seen on any forum.
The chicken coop is where all the ladies hang out when they need some shade. This DIY hanging cabbage will absolutely save your chickens if the flock has new members and need a distraction for bullies.
The goal is to create a mini chicken gym for the flock and then they can interact with the cabbage when they hang out in their coop or before they roost. It's super cheap and chicken owners will love how happy their hens are after they get this boredom buster up!
We'll write some articles with more DIY ideas and DIY solutions that are cost effective and easy to add to your hen house. You can also use a metal coat hanger to get the cabbage hung up on a fence.
Chicken life and raising backyard chickens is never boring!
What hanging chicken treats do you give your chickens? Let us know in the comments below!
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