Chicken Coop Toys | Chicken Toys For Hens | Toys For Baby Chicks

Chicken Coop Toys | Chicken Toys For Hens | Toys For Baby Chicks

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If you own chickens, then it is vital that you provide them with toys to play with. This doesn’t necessarily need to be something that you buy from a store, but you can make some. All that matters is that your chicken is properly stimulated. On this page, we want to take a look at some of the reasons as to why chickens need toys.

Why Do Chickens Need Chicken Toys?

Not a lot of people realize this, but chickens are quite intelligent birds. Probably not the most intelligent birds in the world, but intelligent enough that they will need some sort of mental stimulation. Without this stimulation, it can cause all sorts of issues. This includes:

  • They will start to become destructive to the chicken coop.
  • They will start to attack other chickens
  • Some chickens have been known to engage in cannibalism when they are not given enough mental stimulation.
  • They will start to put on weight because they are a lot less active. This can lead to various health issues.
  • The chickens become bored

Thankfully, entertaining chickens isn’t going to be like other animals.

Chickens are actually rather simple to please. Even something as basic as having a log they can peck at (preferably packed with tasty insects) or a hanging CD is more than enough to provide them with all the entertainment that they need.

If you let them roam about free range in wide open spaces, then they may even start to make their own entertainment, and thus you will not need to give them much in the way of chicken toys to play with.

If your chickens are giving proper stimulation, then you will find that they act a lot more like chickens.

Many people claim that chickens, when not given proper stimulation, have a sort-of ’empty’ look to them, and this could make them less happy.

They won’t move about with, and they will barely act upon their natural instincts. You are pretty much going to be raising a shell of a bird if your chicken does not have toys to play with.

That being said, we do suggest that you provide your chickens with some sort of entertainment in their coop.

If you have a lot of chickens, then you will probably need to have several toys so they do not fight over them. Make sure that you swap out the chicken toys fairly regularly too.

If you do that, then there is a stronger chance that they will be more entertained. Just like you and I, chickens are going to be bored if they are always given the same thing to do.

Best Chicken Toys

Just to give you an idea as to the sorts of toys that you can pick up for your chicken coop, we want to give you a brief overview of some well-regarded chicken coop toys.

We are not going to be actually reviewing these products, it is more to indicate what choices for toys that you have.

Prevue Hendryx naturals Ladder

 best toys for chickens and chicks

For chickens that need to burn off their energy (pretty much all chickens), rope ladders like this could be a good option. It provides them with the ability to climb, as well as to have something that they can pull about with their beak.

This type of toy always comes in handy, because it means your chickens have multiple play options.

Vahigcy Chicken Swing

toys for chickens and chicks

Chickens love to perch, so why not turn that into a toy option? This particular perch swings about when the chicken is on it, which should provide them with a decent bit of mental stimulation.

Some chickens may end up being a bit scared of the way it moves, but most chickens will be thrilled to have a toy like this that they can play about with!

Chicken Perch

toys for chickens and hens

This smaller chicken perch is the perfect toy for small chicken breeds, or even chicks. It provides a decent amount for several chickens. Due to the low down nature of this chicken toy, it can also be used in several different ways, which will provide a lot more entertainment for your birds.

Chicken Swing

This swing may be designed for parrots, but chickens will have a ton of fun swinging about on it. This is due to the colorful decorations on it that the chickens can peck to their heart’s content.

Chicken Toys for Hen with Natural Colorful Shredder

Handmade Chicken Swing Stand Toy 

Birds Swing Hanging Mirror Toys

toys for chickens and chicks

Toys for Baby Chicks

We have bought this chick toy for our chicks and we can say that it is perfect toy for small chicks. It is very sturdy and well made and it is simple to wash off and place it back in the chicken coop.

DIY Chicken Toys For Hens or Toys For Baby Chicks

As brilliant as the previous chicken toys are, you do not need to part with any money if you want to keep your chickens entertained. In fact, you can make your own chicken toys. It doesn’t take much to stimulate a chicken’s mind. Here are some suggestions:

Hanging Vegetables

Seriously. This one of the simplest of ideas, but it is surprisingly effective. Chickens seem to get quite stimulated if you hang some food off of a rope. Any vegetables will work well here.

If you have several chickens, then you will probably want to set up multiple ropes. The cabbage swinging from side to side will catch their attention.

Dust Bowls

You have probably noticed this already, but chickens love dust baths. Why not make one for them? This is another simple toy, but again one that is very effective. Just fill up a large bowl with dust and your chickens will love it.

Perch

If you are handy with some wood, hammer, and nails, then it shouldn’t take that much effort to put together a decent chicken perch. In fact, even a good quality one could be made in under a day.

There are plenty of guides online for this.

Final Thoughts About Chicken Toys

If you have chickens, then you will need to have toys for them. If you don’t, then it can lead to all sorts of issues.

However, this is an easy problem to deal with.

There are plenty of chicken toys you can purchase, or you can even make your own. Just make sure that your chickens have some sort of entertainment. It will result in far, far happier chickens!

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