« Of Storms and Dogs ... and Dogs | Main | Watta wind! »

November 10, 2005

Will rake for Chickens

The other day I posted to my local FreeCycle list and asked for leaves. I explained that they are cheap entertainment for chickens in the winter. I received about as many e-mails asking me to explain chicken entertainment as I did offers of leaves, so I thought I would take a second to elaborate.
My chickens hate snow. Even on the nicest of winter days, if I want them to walk around outside, I have to shovel a path for them. On the worst of days, I batten down the hatches and the chickens remain inside their coops. Even their little door is closed to prevent wind and snow from blowing inside the coop. It's on these kinds of days I like to empty a bag of leaves on the floor of the coop. This helps in a couple different ways.
The coops are almost a foot off the ground which means the wind has a chance to blow and seep through the floor, making for cold chicken feet. The leaves provide a level of insulation. And no chicken can resist scratching and pawing through leaves! You would be amazed at the culinary delights they find in old leaves. Their scratching keeps them moving and keeps them entertained. A bored chicken can be a mean chicken, and if you keep them entertained you maintain the community of the flock. Plus at the next thaw, the shredded leaves and manure make a great addition to the compost pile!
I use other things to combat winter boredom. Sometimes I will add a small flake of hay for them to scratch through. Grocery stores sell old and outdated breads and vegetables that the birds will get too. Since I remove the waterers nightly when the temps dip below 30, they get warm water in the morning (I like to call it their coffee). On the very bitter mornings I will even make up some oatmeal for them. I have learned not to make up too much or the remainders will freeze and be wasted.
On bright sunny days, I set out dusting boxes for them in the warmest sunniest spot I can find, or make a pile of ashes on the barn floor, as seen here. When we empty out the woodstove, we save the ashes and give them to the chickens. They immediately go to town in the ashes, rolling and kicking up a cloud.
These are just some of the things I do to keep the birds happy in the winter. Bitter cold is hard on them, and I like to think that the more I do to keep them entertained, the better off they will be.

Posted by roosterh at November 10, 2005 9:43 AM

Comments

Oops! The Town of Ithaca is probably vacuuming up my large pile of leaves right this moment! Leaf collection is this week, and I saw their fun leaf-vacuum truck going by when I was en route to work. Maybe you can call them and ask for some. :-)

Posted by: Mark H. Anbinder at November 10, 2005 11:37 AM

Posted to Poultry

I think I will try the leaf thing with my two hen houses. I have neighbors who have bagged up leaves and left them out on the curb. I will run down and get them. Yesterday my husband and I went to our friends garden and gathered up all the left over summer and winter squash. Neighbors have given us their left over jack-o- lanterns for more chicken and goat intertainment in the next couple of weeks. I would rather the chickens peck squash than each other.

Posted by: Linda Dabulewicz at November 13, 2005 3:09 PM

Posted to Poultry

I REALLY DO NOT HAVE A COMMET.BUT YOU KEEP THEM IN SIDE ALL WINTER? I WOULD LOVE TOO START WITH CHICKIN S. WE JUST GOT 37 ACRES IN N.Y. TOO. I CAN NOT FIND A BOOK ON HOW TO START RASSING THEM. I CAN GET FREE CHICKEN S FROM SAMEONE IF I WOULD. I REALLY LIKE YOUR HOUSE I LOVE ANAIMAL S TOO E.J.SAW DONOT MY KID S.

Posted by: e.j. at December 9, 2005 12:51 PM

Posted to Poultry

That's a really good idea about the leaves in the chicken house on such days. I hope you don't mind, but I think I may use that as a suggestion for when I have people ask me if they are wanting some "enrichments" for their birds! BTW I am the poultry extension assistant at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Posted by: Kody at March 24, 2006 11:52 AM

Posted to Poultry

Post a comment