10 Fall Treats & Activities for Chickens (To Keep Both You and Your Chickens Entertained)
Today’s the first day of fall so I figured I’d post about fall treats and activities for chickens.
Chickens, like most other animals, appreciate enrichment and treat-related activities that help keep them busy and entertained. Watching your chickens enjoy these fall activities will help keep you entertained as well!
All of these activities cater directly to chickens and what they love. For one, chickens are very food motivated so we have a lot of different treats and ways of feeding them these treats. Two, chickens love to jump, peck, and scratch around. Three, many of these activities get the chickens running around and being active – a little bit of exercise for our chickens is always a good thing 😊.
Many of these activities can technically be done any time of year, but I wanted to give you all some ideas on fall-theme-specific activities since I think most of us are ready for the fall and some reprieve from the hot weather.
1. Leaf Piles
As all children enjoy a good leaf pile (and some adults too!), your chickens will also love scratching through a pile of dry leaves.
Either rake the leaves into piles throughout your yard or add them as substrate to their coop or run and they’ll dig through happily looking for bugs… and making a big mess as they scatter your hard work around your freshly raked yard.
You’ll typically want to do this with dry leaves since they’re easier to rake, though piles of damp leaves may house worms, grubs, and other treats underneath.
2. A Pumpkin Feast
Pumpkins are rich in many nutrients and antioxidants and make for a healthy treat your chickens will love.
You may have heard that providing pumpkin for your chickens will help deworm them. While there’s no solid scientific evidence to this, many chicken owners swear it works. Eating pumpkin would be unlikely to fully get rid of worms, (maybe help decrease the worm population a bit if anything); however, it’s a fact that most chickens do enjoy eating pumpkins and other gourds 😊.
Depending on how many chickens you have, a whole pumpkin might be too large. Cut the pumpkin in half or in smaller pieces if needed and give you your chickens. I don’t recommend giving them the pumpkin whole since they might have a hard time breaking through the tough outer skin.
Make sure you’re not giving your chickens a pumpkin that has gone moldy since this can lead to health issues (basically never give them anything moldy). You also might want to rinse it off well since some farms may dip their pumpkins in a bleach solution to help them stay fresh longer.
3. A Protein Shaker
Chicken molting typically happens during fall. Your chickens will start to lose their feathers around early fall and should have new feathers grown in by wintertime. That is of course if your chickens are typical… if they’re like mine they’ll wait until the coldest time of the year to lose their feathers and then walk around in the cold half naked.
While perfectly normal, molting can be a bit stressful for chickens and generally they’ll benefit from some extra protein which will help them grow in their new feathers.
To provide my chickens more protein during molting time, I like to have protein shakers. I take an old parmesan container (or something similar), clean it out and fill it with dried meal worms and grubs. Every morning when I go out to check on them, I’ll shake some on the ground. It’s a bit of a fun way to give your chickens some treats, which they’ll enjoy scratching and pecking at.
You can of course use this shaker for other treats as well such as scratch, grains, berries, and seeds. I like it because I have a somewhat smaller flock and don’t want to overload them with too many treats at one time. (I also don’t like having to actually touch the meal worms so using a shaker is great!). Make sure to use the larger holed-side of the shaker since not much will come out of the smaller holes unless you’re using small seeds etc. in the shaker.
4. Fall Garden Cleanout
If you were growing fruit and veg during spring and summer, your vegetable garden might be looking a bit scruffy at this point of the year.
Now’s a great time to invite your chickens into your garden (put them to work) and let them pick and scratch away at the vegetable remains. Not only will they help clear the area, but they’ll also help scratch up the soil, eat bugs, and leave some free fertilizer behind.
If you have plants in your garden that you don’t want bothered by your chickens, just rip up what’s spent and toss in your chicken pen for them to peck at. You can later rake up anything leftover and add to your compost pile if you have one.
5. Garland Treat
While some people like to make garlands of dried fruit for their house décor… I like to make them for my chickens. String up dried fruits and veg, or fresh ones if you want to, and put your homemade garland up around your chicken’s favorite hang-out spots.
To make – You’ll need some twine or other sturdy ribbon/string and the fruit and veg you want for the garland treat. For making holes in the fruit and veg use either a small paring knife and cut holes, a large/thick sewing needle, or another tool that lets you poke holes (I like using chopsticks).
You can buy dried fruit from the store or some yourself by slicing fruit and baking the slices in the over on low heat (the lowest your oven can go) for about 5 hours flipping them halfway through. Depending on your oven they may need to stay in for longer or come out sooner – just keep checking on them every now and then. Try doing this with oranges, apples, pineapple, etc.
For fresh fruit and veg I like using apples, squash, spinach & kale leaves…
Tip: I like to hang the garlands slightly higher off the ground so the chickens have to jump up a bit to get to them. This gives them a bit of a challenge which they’ll enjoy, plus they get snacks, and it’s fun to watch!
6. Dust Bath Using Ashes from a Fire Pit
It’s way too hot down here in the south during the summer months so I very rarely use my fire pit, but come fall I’m using it just about every weekend. One of the results is plenty of wood ash which can be used in chicken dust baths.
After using your fire pit, make sure anything left in the pit has cooled off completely. Move aside any larger bits of wood that are still intact and scoop out some of the ashes from the bottom with a shovel. Again…. Make sure they’ve cooled off all the way first by giving them a couple days to fully cool. If you wet the ashes to put them out, you may need to wait a couple days for the ashes to dry out.
Add the ashes to your chicken’s favorite dust bathing areas or create a new one for them. Mix together with dirt, sand, small amounts of food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE), herbs, and whatever else you like to add to your chicken’s dust baths.
If you don’t have your down fire pit or area in your yard, you can easily make one for cheap using bricks or just stack some logs and sticks and make a regular campfire (just mind fire safety). Or you could always ask friends or family members who have fire pits to share some ashes with you.
7. Fall Log for your Chickens
If you have a rotting log sitting around your yard then give it to your chickens! Not only will they enjoy jumping up on the log, but they’ll also enjoy pecking and scratching at it while searching for bugs.
You can also sprinkle pumpkin and sunflower seeds in the cracks of the log to give the chickens something extra to go for as well.
If you leave the log on the ground in one spot for a while then there should also be worms and bugs that your chickens will enjoy. Every week or so move the log a bit and let the chickens get to any of the goodies underneath.
8. A Halloween Branch Maze
Fall is typically a good time to trim back branches and bushes. The result is often a large pile of stuff that gets thrown away… but could instead be used for your chickens.
I like to put aside a couple larger branches, big enough to be used for perches, and then any softer greenery and make a little branch “maze” for my chickens.
I put the branches up crisscross style in one corner of their pen using the walls and cinder blocks to hold them up (make sure they’re secure and won’t fall!), and then sprinkle the softer greens, such as juniper clippings.
The end result looks somewhat like a maze and your chickens will enjoy jumping around they new perches while digging through the other greens. With all the twisted branches I always feel like it gives the run area a bit of a Halloween-y feel.
9. Fall-Themed Suet Treats
Suet blocks for your chickens are great for several reasons: They make wonderful and healthy treats that will keep your chickens entertained, provide extra nutrients your chickens might need, and are also a lot of fun to make.
Suet, if you’re not familiar with the term, is the harder white fat, or lard, from around the kidneys of animals such as cows and sheep. Traditionally it was used in pastries, puddings, and other dishes that required fat to bind the ingredients together and add flavor.
When discussing suet with relation to chickens and other birds, we’re talking about blocks of lard that have been made with seeds, dried fruits, and other treats incorporated into them.
Being a saturated fat, it’s a great way to get your chickens some extra fat on their bones before it starts getting too cold outside and other ingredients such as dried meal worms can be added to provide extra protein in case your chickens are molting.
To make a simple suet block, just find something that can be used as a mold such as an old food storage container, silicone mold, or even ice cube tray if you want to make smaller individual-sized ones. I recommend making them in about the size of a house brick, but you may want to make them bigger or smaller depending on the size of your flock. You want to make sure it’s small enough that it will get fully consumed within a couple days but large enough to keep your chickens entertained for a decent while.
Get the fat you’re going to use – coconut oil is a good option for this since it’s readily available and a healthy option, but you can also use any other excess lard, tallow, meat drippings, bacon grease etc. I recommend not using too much of these other fats since they might be high in sodium (a little bit is fine). You can also add in some peanut butter.
The next ingredients you need are seeds, nuts, dried fruits, meal worms, and whatever else you want to add to your suet.
Ratio-wise you want to have more seeds, nuts, dried bugs, and things, and have just enough fat to hold it together in a solid form.
All you do is melt the fats so they’re in liquid form (just melt till liquid, don’t make it too hot), add in your seeds etc, mix together well, pour into the molds, and allow to harden at room temperature or in the fridge.
Some Ingredient Ideas:
- Seeds, Nuts, & Grains – cracked corn, oatmeal, lentils, flax seeds, unsalted peanuts, sunflower seeds, whole grains, bird seed mixture bought from store works too
- Bugs / Protein – dried meal worms, dried grubs
- Plants, Fruit, Veggies, & Herbs – marigold flower petals, dried apple, dried peas, oregano, thyme, garlic
10. Seasonal Treats for Fall to Serve Cold or Warm
If you live in a warmer climate, like I do, you might still be experiencing high temperatures even though it’s fall. Today’s the first day of fall and it’s 87° Fahrenheit outside. While colder weather is on the way, for now I’ll be sticking with some cooler treats for my chickens to help them finish out the rest of the warm weather in comfort.
On days when it’s still hot I like to give my chickens cold treats. I’ll slice up anything too large and unruly and keep the fruit and veg bits in the bridge or freezer until I’m ready to give it to my chickens. One of my favorite things to do with cold and frozen treats is to through them around the yard and let the chickens chase after them. Gets them running around and is also highly entertaining for me!
Sprinkle some treats in amongst a leaf pile to give your chickens extra incentive to play int eh leaves.
Once it gets cooler outside I’ll start to feed my chickens some warm treats on occasion. Left over fruits and veg slowly cooked on the stovetop and fed at warm temperatures will make a nice treat for your chickens. (make sure what you feed them is warm and not hot!).
Since warm treats tend to be a bit mushier I usually feed them on disposable plates such as reused take-out dishes etc. which can be thrown away once the chickens are done.
Since it’s officially pumpkin spice and casserole season, here are some fall treats you can feed to your chickens:
- Apples
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cranberries
- Figs
- Grapes
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Mushrooms
- Persimmons
- Pumpkin
- Okra
- Squash
- Radish
- Raspberries (fall fruiting)
- Spinach
- Sweet Potato
- Turnips
- Zucchini
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