Kakelpraat; Confined – and then?
Part 1: Environmental Enrichment
The situation our hobby chickens currently find themselves in does not only affect their nutrition—as you read in the previous Kakelpraat—but also their behavior and well-being. A chicken’s daily activity mainly consists of scratching and foraging. In a limited space, they are quickly done foraging and boredom sets in. Too little distraction and stimulation can lead to abnormal behavior: aggression or, conversely, apathy, restlessness, stress, and stereotypical behaviors. Enriching their behavior in various ways can prevent many problems.
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8 January '26 • 1 min reading time
Fortunately, “confinement” does not mean that our chickens have to stay indoors all the time, although in many cases their (exercise) space is limited. With a covered run, chickens can still go outside and continue to scratch. The floor of the run can consist of soil that is regularly turned over, allowing the chickens to repeatedly find new worms and seeds. On a bedding of wood chips, straw, or bark, grain can be scattered regularly to stimulate scratching behavior. Dried, aromatic herbs such as mint, thyme, or oregano mixed into the litter also provide similar exploratory stimuli.
For additional distraction, a variety of toys and enrichment items can be used, which are often simpler than you might think. Of course, specialty stores offer many products: toys made from recycled plastic that can be filled with feed, grain balls, alfalfa, pecking blocks, and chicken peanut butter. However, there are also easy “do-it-yourself” options that are just as effective. Hang up a plastic bottle with a few holes and fill it with grain; the chickens will quickly figure out that pecking at the bottle results in a reward. Make small racks from pieces of chicken wire and stuff them with greens or fruit. These can be hung from strings or attached to the wall. Instead of scattering fruit or greens (broccoli, kale, lettuce, etc.) loosely in the run, hang them up in bunches or, for example, skewer apples onto large nails on a small board. A shovel of composted organic manure or a piece of rotten wood also provides hours of entertainment.
The layout of the run itself can also be made more challenging for the chickens, for example by creating natural perches from a tree stump or sturdy branches. The bark, leaves, or buds of branches from willow, birch, or fruit trees invite pecking. Create platforms, for instance from old garden chairs, crates, or buckets, to make the living space more three-dimensional.
Intelligent animals such as chickens need variation, which also keeps them mentally active. Therefore, introduce enrichment ideas gradually and vary the type and location weekly.
December 2025 Hans Krudde