Chicken Boredom Busters | How To Keep Chickens Entertained
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- Rich shares some chicken boredom busters and shows how to keep chickens entertained. This is especially true in winter or when your hens are cooped up in an enclosed space.
#backyardchickens #freerangechicken #boredchicken
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Bored hens don't lay lots of eggs! Got other ideas?! Let us know!
Are those the same girls were baby chicks.
@@MeAndMyNieceWithMySister-rp2dq Those are the same hens. Cheers Amy!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm They grown up perfectly. I can't hardly believe it where the time go. I still remember how you show them the dust bath in the other video. Tell them that I said hi and they are beautiful.
I cannot image a more mindful chicken keeper than you are. Keep the girls happy.
Thank you for the nice comment! We love our hens and want to keep them happy. Happy hens lay happy eggs (and lots of them!!). Cheers!
0:55 "a bored chicken picks on his friends" .... sounds like my husband 😆
You never want bored hens! Thanks for watching! Cheers!
Your hens are happy!! I tried the straw bale and mind sat on it, they are a little lazy. 🤣 I have to break it up for them.
Yes pumpkin seeds with keep parasite load down. Good idea.
We break the bale into 6-inch pieces. They take it from there. Our hens love the pumpkins! Thanks for stopping by to watch and comment! Keep us updated on your hens! Cheers!
Great ideas... John rakes piles of leaves and the chickens love to dig through the piles of leaves!
A pile of "anything" is an invitation to dig. Chickens love a pile! Thanks for watching Barb! Cheers!
I do leaves too. I also make inexpensive "flock blocks" and put down some dry sand so they can have a bath... add some diatom in there too, that kills bugs that may be on them. When it's very cold some of them are often interested in investigating ice blocks that have formed somewhere. I grow my own greens and feed them fresh daily.
I provided a swing yet I have never seen them use it!
During spring and summer I throw weeds in the run and they eat those they like. I would have a compost pile in there yet the entry isn't so big and I tend to keep my compost for my vegetables. Also, rats may be more of a nuisance.
Kapulat =kapooot😂😂😂😂
Never thought about having to entertain chickens, my friend. Lots of good tips.
Gotta keep 'em happy! Happy hens lay lots of eggs!
Thank you for loving your chickens and being so caring 🥰
They provide us with a LOT of entertainment and a LOT of eggs. The least we can do is give them a great life! They are such great gals too! Thanks for stopping by to watch! Cheers!
You must have the happiest chickens 🐔 ☺️
Other than a couple squabbles over turf, they're very happy! As happy as any 60 hens can be!! Cheers!
Man, that corn is like a mute button on a TV. They just love it !! Amazing how long pumkins last !!
Cheers J&C 🌱🐔🌱
If they are cold, pumpkins can last all winter. This was from my harvest in September. The last pumpkin. Our hens love the corn and there is no talking when they're eating!! Cheers!
It’s true it helps worm everything out!! I’ve fed all my animals so much pumpkin they got tired of it and won’t touch it right now 😂😂
I feed plenty of pumpkin from fall until I don't have any. I made it all the way into January. If you've got access to an exact study, send it my way. I'd love to read it. Most of what I've seen is opinion. Thanks!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm sending you the email
We do bobbing for apples. They go nuts. I also take a 2l bottle. Dry it out. Drill holes and fill it with scratch. Keeps them entertained.
I love those ideas! Thanks for sharing them. I need to buy some pop in a 2-liter bottle. Thanks for sharing, Glenda!
Rich thanks so much for this video !! I try to keep my girls from getting bored too, as just like toddlers, they'll get into plenty of mischief with nothing to do !
That is the perfect description of the hens! Toddlers!! You've nailed it!
My roosters looove my kids when they come out back. They will all run to a shoe and it has to be a red or yellow shoe lol they won't bother with other colors. When they get their shoe they stand on it, then my kids will grab the shoe and run like crazy to the other side where they jump up. If they get pecked they loose. If they don't play with them the roosters walk beside them making deep throat noises. If any hens come they all get mad and lunge at them. The dogs not even allowed to go near my kids it's so funny. They've all been together since being hatched.
Chickens love children and children love chickens! What a great relationship! It's cool about the color preferences! Thanks for sharing your experience! We appreciate it! Cheers!
Love the setup, defo something my daughter & I will do for our chickens - thanks!!!
If you have any questions, when you get chickens, let us know. We're here to help. Thanks for stopping by to watch. Cheers!
Yah, my girls are grouchy. I will get a cabbage this weekend and hang it up for them. Thanks for the ideas.
It took about an hour for the cabbage to be decimated! Your girls will love it! Cheers Dawn!
Fun to see how you spoil your girls!! 🥳
While I don't consider our girls spoiled, they do get some treats from time to time!! Cheers Sandra!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm Special treats are love ❤️
I REALLY loved all your boredom buster ideas! THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!🥳❤️🐓
Thanks for stopping by to watch and add your kind words! We appreciate your support! Cheers Christy!
Rich, this is pretty unrelated, but I tried for the better part of 30 minutes to convince my boyfriend to get the very glasses you're wearing! He ended up going with a different pair, but I still think they look great!
As you can tell from newer videos, I've gotten a new set of glasses. This pair was great and very sturdy. I turned a corner once and ran right into a post. The post scratched my glasses but saved my eye! I liked this design and had a lot of compliments. If your boyfriend doesn't like the glasses he bought, these are well built and work great! Cheers!
Rich, are your hens still using the dust bath? Here's a thought, maybe they need you to sing to them, it would be fun to see what reaction you get from the girls. I recently watched a video, where a farmer/rancher played classical music to his cows, and he claimed that they produced more milk with the music than they did without it. Besides, I'm pretty sure your girls love the sound of your voice because they all come running when you talk to them! ~Margie 🤗🎤🎶☃
Things have changed. The girls are in the dust bath and could care less if I watch them! They bury themselves and get all dirty in the dust bath! I think they equate my voice to food! I know what they really think of me!! Cheers Margie!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm 🤣😂🤣
@@TheOldSwedesFarm I sing to my girls (Peter, Paul and Mary !!) and whistle too....
@@judymiller323 My hens would stop laying if I started to sing to them!! It would sound like Peter, Paul & Marty!!
They look so busy with the straw. 😅😂❤
They love a good bale of straw. Keeps them busy for days! Thanks for stopping by!!
I saw a good idea the other day about making your own fly larve from kitchen scraps and just leaving it out in a bucket and the flys lay eggs and you have ready feed for them and also using beans and pasta for feed is another way to keep them pecking and give them variety in food.
I've heard of the fly larvae. It's tough here in MN with the cold weather for a chunk of the year. I'll look into the beans and pasta. I like the variety of feed. I'm trying to make sure we give them variety, but I don't want to have large food costs. Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers!
I'm working on one of these larve farms because I don't feel like paying for feed anymore
Thanks for sharing. Our hens aren’t laying right now either. I have given my chickens pumpkins for boredom too. Great idea with the tree roost.have a blessed day. 😊
Our hens are laying quite good right now. They never stop. We're getting over 45 eggs per day from the 60 hens. The tree has been fun to watch. They like the heights. Glad you have used pumpkins. It's such a great food for them (and easy to find). Cheers!
I know it's been over a year but still thank you for this video, it was educational and I learned a lot, even if I don't have chickens now, I'm doing my research because nothing is worse than having animals before starting the research. It's quite interesting to see the different ways of looking after chickens and I thank you for giving me a few ideas for the future!
I'm so glad you're researching prior to getting your chickens. So many people don't do any research to learn what to do. The chickens end up suffering. If we can ever help you, as you get ready for your chickens (or after), let us know. We're here to help! Cheers!
Genius! I can watch this all day!
Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate your support! I can sit and watch our hens all day too! Cheers!
Your girls are very lucky. You are really thoughtful about how to keep the girls happy and not bored. And they live in a chicken mansion! I attached a mirror to the kennel when my girl’s best friend died. She spends a lot of time looking in the mirror.
I love the mirror idea! My little ladies would love it! Our barn is great for the hens. They love their home and it's a great spot for them! Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm You know, we’re girls. We never get tired of looking in the mirror 😂. Well, maybe not first thing in the morning..
I just gave our girls the last pumpkin we had. They love them. I'm going to do a head of cabbage like you have. That's a great idea
Within three hours, the cabbage was gone. It was like a tetherball game for a while! Let me know how it goes! Cheers!
I love your set up! 😊🐓
Thanks! It works really well for our flock! Thanks for stopping by to watch!
Hello. I'm new to your channel. This is the first of your videos that I've seen. I really enjoyed it. Great content ! Love seeing the hens in that huge space. I'm gonna go check out your other videos now.
Thanks for joining us on our channel and our journey. Lots of chicken and garden videos. If we can help in any way, don't hesitate to reach out! Cheers Alicia!
Hey thanks ! I appreciate that. Next up to watch is the sourdough pizza video. I'm always looking for new recipes. I love that you "cheers" everyone. In Spanish, we say Salud !
@@aliciaspears7847 Well, thanks again for watching! We appreciate your support! Salud!
One thing about chickens is they will flatten any pile. I give mine grass clippings in the summer and leaves during the winter.
My work gives me scraps from the salad bar and that's their favorite. I'm planting sprouts for them now and can't wait till they are done.
Piles will keep them happy for a long time! I've used leaves before. Our girls free range so they have plenty of grass. Thanks for stopping by to watch and comment! Cheers Lana!
I'm trying out a head of cabbage to hang in our chicken run. Real simple and cheap to make as a boredom buster.
I'm betting your hens will love this! Thanks for stopping by to watch and comment! Cheers Linda!
Pumkins are good for deworming chickens and sheep too.
I'd love to find a study that proves this. I've been looking. We give the hens pumpkins all winter to help deworm. So far we haven't had worms but I can't prove it's due to our giving them pumpkins. If you know of a study, let me know. Thanks!
Great tips Rich! Love live the way you built that tree! Perfect. We also have done oatmeal…with corn in it. And I’ve seen homemade suet cakes and blocks using scratch and corn. Have a great day!
I've never made suet cakes but I bet they are full of energy and treats. I've never made oatmeal for the hens either. I need to up my game!! Thanks for all the ideas Lisa!!
Great tips!! Love these boredom Buster ideas! They all look very happy and entertained with everything you have in place. Love that they help with the chores too! 😊👍❤️
The hens definitely carry their weight around the barn! They work and I bring 'em treats! Cheers Tammy!
hehe even the chicken need to be entertained. Thanks for showing us this experience , friend! Stay connected!
Since they're inside so long, they need to be happy too! Thank you for watching and commenting! Cheers!
Hello. That's a great idea. I need to try this myself. 🐔. Have a blessed day.
Your hens will love these! Thanks for watching Gail!
I've heard that about punkin seeds too. No idea if it works but they sure do love to eat them. I picked up several at one of my local stores a few weeks ago they were selling off for 99 cents.
Think you're hitting it about like I do. They get bored eating the same thing all the time I've noticed so I mix it up with something different about every day. I get boxes of apples that I feed to solder flies and I'll toss a few to the birds. They love to pick at those too. Of course fly larva but dumping a half gallon of those in there only leads to a bunch of noise and a frenzy that lasts for about 30 seconds and they're all gone.
We try for the variety of food too. Keeps them excited. We've used fly larvae and they really go nuts (like your hens!). Thanks for stopping by to watch and comment! Cheers!
Beautiful video!🐔 Great sharing 👍
Thank you for watching and supporting our channel! We appreciate you stopping by! Cheers!
Nice sharing. I like it.
Have a wonderful time. Greetings
Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers!
You could always hang a plastic bottle with treats in it. What you do is make some holes at the bottom with a glue gun, just use the metal tip to make holes big enough for the treats and the girls beak. Fill it with their favorite food hang it up. The idea is they have to peck at the bottle ( make sure it is a clear bottle) for the treats to fall out on to the ground.
The second is something called a grass box. Make a frame that is between 3 to 5 inches high. Then fill it about an inch with soil.theen add grass seeds, look after it until the grass seeds grow to about a 2 inches give or take. Then you want to fix some small guage wire over the box. Put in the chicken run and they will have grass to nibble on all year round. Because of the wire the chickens can not eat it all the way down to the roots ,but only get to peck at the very top ends of the grass. Saving the rest of the grass to row. Have a few more, but i hope those two help.
I will try the grass box in the winter. They've got so much green material this time of year. I like the treat bottle too. Great ideas! Thanks for stopping by!
Yes pumpkin seeds are anti parasitic for chickens as well as humans
I wish someone would do an in-depth study on chickens with pumpkin seeds. I guess there isn't enough money for such a study. I believe it is an anti-parasitic but it'd be nice for a formal study. Thanks for stopping by to watch! Cheers!
Yes good way to keep the girls happy.
For the most part, they are happy girls. We had the little power struggle and then it was calm! Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for sharing.. very informative! you’ve got a great setup.
We love our set-up and the hens seem to enjoy it too! Thanks for joining us! Cheers!
Get them a Playstation lol
Ha! That might be the final touch on the barn!!
I want to have my own soon. Great presentation. Like 47
I hope you can get some chickens soon. If we can help, don't hesitate to reach out! Cheers!
Wow the chicken is so healthy
They are happy and healthy!! Thanks for watching!
Great video thank you ,🙏 I’m a new chicken mom
Thanks for joining us. We were newbies once too. A fun (and scary) time! If we can ever be of help, don't hesitate to reach out. Oldswedesfarm@gmail.com. Happy New Year and enjoy your hens!!
Pumpkin seeds and pineapple have the best wormicide effect. Yes it is true, both work well on intestinal worms.
I wish someone would do an official study on this. I give our hens pumpkins all winter and we've never had worms in all our years of having hens. Still have never seen a real study that proves any food prevents worms. Maybe there isn't enough money for a study like this. Thanks for stopping by to watch! Cheers!
Yes, it's true that chickens like rice seeds and stems.
We've never given them rice but seeds and stems always work for our girls! Cheers!
Hi my freind beautiful farm
Thanks for watching and commenting! We appreciate you! Cheers!
Great Video!!! You are spot on💗
Thank you for watching and commenting! We appreciate your support! Our hens are never bored and they know they are loved! Cheers!
I really like your chicken set up. Especially in the weather you have. I’m in Hawaii. Hilo Hi we get more rain fall than any other US state including Washington
So we are always looking for boredom busters ourselves
A lot of the busters here are to keep the girls on the floor (near the deep litter heat). You have a different issue. I'd build a covered area and have multiple levels for them to be more vertical. Maybe some more of our "trees" so your hens can go upward. Food is always good! Thanks for stopping by! Aloha!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm excellent ideas. I always forget to use the vertical space .
Aloha friend
thanks for sharing sir
Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers!
Love the tree idea; I'm going to add a couple to my coop. I noticed you have some very glossy black hens that look like they might have a beetle green sheen - are they Black Australorps?
The black hens are the Black Sex Links. Beautiful hens with shades of green, blue and purple in their black feathers. Great layers too!
The only think I could think to offer is that making the roosts at an angle instead of flat has been said to encourage aggressive behavior. I can’t say for sure, but mine are the same, every one is level and I have seen less of the vying for the highest spot.
You gotta keep the roosts flat. There is no other way. Not sure about the aggressive behavior but flat is the only way they can comfortably rest. Thanks for stopping by!
I collect pumpkins after Halloween and harvest and keep them in my root cellar.
When do you clean the deep floor litter - after the winter?
Great place for the pumpkins! I clean the floor in late March and then again in early October. Hope this helps. Cheers!
Great video and ideas .. thank you
Thanks for watching! Our hens seem to like the ideas! Cheers!
black soldier flies for them or any scrap meats will keep them from pecking eachother, they need protein
We've had soldier fly larvae while they are going through molt. We'll also throw out a chicken carcass after we've cooked it for soup and removed most of the meat. Anything to keep them moving and active (and provide some nourishment). Thanks for stopping by to watch and comment. Cheers!
"Limited space?" 🤣 My coop is 6x8....
These ideas will probably work in a small space or a large space. If your coop is 6x8, how big is your run (or do they free range)?
@@TheOldSwedesFarm They have a large yard. I have a bunch of branches I wanted to make something for them to climb on with them. Something kind of like your 4x4 tree! 😁
@@cheryldahl9192 I've got a video on how to build the "tree." It's basically an 8-foot 4x4 and an 8-foot 2x4 (plus some brackets and screws). Branches may breakdown and get brittle. The lumber won't. Check it out as it might give your hens a nice place to hang out and roost. Cheers Cheryl!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm Yeah, I just wanted to use the branches of my trimmed trees for something. I don't have any lumber laying around, and it's too expensive to buy now (for me).
you have some nesting boxes in there, what are they called? the brand? i like those
Search on our channel under Product Review: Farm Innovators.... and you should find our review. They are awesome and the hens love them. Let me know if you can't find the video.
❤🐔
Thank you for watching and commenting! We appreciate your support!
Do I watch the video because my neighbour got chickens in the late fall this year and now they have to be in a improvised coop because we have it too cold now outside? (And because they don't have a safe space against predators) Yes. Do I watch the video because the chickens I fear they are bored because there's no stimulation for them? Yes
They aren't mine but I still want them to be happy and one of them (the weakest) died a week ago and we think it may have been the other chickens and rooster and I want to prevent that happen again.
Maybe you invite your neighbor to watch our channel. It is unfortunate that they lost a hen. Something wasn't right in the flock. Maybe you can help tend the flock and introduce a few new ideas to keep the flock happy (and maybe your neighbor will share the eggs with you!). Keep me posted on how the flock does in the future. Cheers!
💚🌞
Thanks for watching Jennie!
I came here searching for chicken accessories, as in what is good to eat with it...
Thanks for stopping by to watch and for your comment! You made me laugh out loud! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
*꧁ 🤗🐥 Obrigada 👌 ꧂*
Cheers!
Is that straw or hay???? Looks like straw!
It is straw. I may have called it hay, but you are correct, it is straw! Thanks for stopping by!
Maybe add a few swings
Very few of our hens like the swing we have in the outdoor coop, but this is a great idea! I need to find a spot to put them (the ceiling is pretty far up!). Great idea!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm also, I watched another video and they created a graze box which may be another great idea for your area here but you’d probably need multiple.
@@DianaKayUSA That is a great idea. You're right about a couple of boxes. Thanks for sharing the ideas!
What kind of breed is the golden bars hens
You might want to give an exact time that the chicken is on screen. You might be seeing the Calico Princess. Big gal and beautiful!
Can I feed pumpkin to my 9 week old chicks?
To me, it seems that they might be a little young to have pumpkin. We start our hens out free ranging or bring some large dandelion plants into the coop. They can eat grass and bugs and you can ease them into bigger meals after three months. My opinion.
@@TheOldSwedesFarm I have only 4 chicks. Thank you for the tips! I made sweet potatoes mush and they seem to like it. The also eat my bean leaves and other weeds.
Is that an aluminum barn? Im thinking of buying an aluminum shed and converting to a coop. Any condensation issues? Hows the temperature in extreme heat and cold ? Thanks ❤
It is aluminum. It tracks a bit warmer than the outside temps. The door faces north and there aren't any windows. No draft other than our large fan. In the summer it can be warm. Between the deep litter and the lack of breeze, the barn stays fairly warm, even at -25f. Even at -15f, the temp on the floor (with the deep litter) was in the low 30's. Very nice for the hens.
@TheOldSwedesFarm sounds like an awesome setup. I'm in Texas and we're still Hitting triple digits 🤪
Just wondering do you have a concrete or dirt floor
The floor is dirt. They keep mixing it all together. It's been great for four winters. Cheers Mary Lou!
Rich has your girls went back to laying again? The ones around here are not. One guy said they were “molting”, whatever that means.
Cabbage head tether ball.
Our hens never stopped laying. We've had lots of eggs all winter! We've had a few molting (losing and replacing feathers). We're all good. Stay tuned on ESPN 8 (The Ocho) for Chicken Tether Ball. My hens are in the Regional Finals!! Cheers!
How do you ensure your Chicken house is well ventilated?
You can see videos of the outdoor coop and indoor coop. The outdoor coop has metal fabric on the top of all sides. It has plenty of airflow. The barb has a lot of ventilation and we open the big door every day to have open airflow. No moisture issues here! Hope this answered your question! Cheers!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm I see thanks for your response
"chickens" and "smart" in the same sentence? Chickens will not be able to go straight through the coop door after months they've been using it, and will instead keep pecking on the fence trying to get in, finally circling the whole perimeter until they hit the actual entrance.
Chickens are maybe cuddly, curious, inquisitive, rewarding, but very far from smart.
It sure seems that our hens are smart. Curious and inquisitive too. They're interesting and fun, to say the least! Cheers!
Put 10 to 20 live 🪳 in their
We grab June Bugs this time of year and throw them on the floor. The hens go nuts! Cheers!
@@TheOldSwedesFarm bugs are their favorite.
I live in the tropics and I give the soldiers fly larva