When it’s cold, this game becomes your chickens’ favourite activity.

Winter tightens its grip, the run empties, the ground hardens and, all of a sudden, the hen house seems to have lost its sparkle.

With less daylight, little natural food available and plenty of wet or freezing days, hens spend more time standing still, perched up, huddling together for warmth. It’s in this slowed-down routine that problems with behaviour, health and egg production start to appear. A simple, inexpensive and surprisingly entertaining solution has been turning hen runs into proper winter playgrounds.

When the cold freezes the coop, boredom becomes a silent enemy

In summer, hens spend most of the day scratching about, hunting insects, tossing over dry leaves and exploring every corner of the garden. In winter, that routine disappears. The ground goes hard, grass stops growing and insects all but vanish.

Without stimulation, the natural drive to forage is interrupted. The flock stands around more - and that’s not just about mood; it directly affects the birds’ physical and mental wellbeing.

Lack of activity increases the risk of excessive weight gain and aggressive behaviours, such as feather pecking.

With more energy building up and fewer opportunities to use it, two classic problems appear:

• Weight gain, because hens often eat almost the same but move far less.
• Feather pecking, when they start pecking at each other out of frustration and boredom.

For keepers, that can mean more squabbles, injured birds, fewer eggs and, in extreme cases, having to separate individuals. The key is to mimic what they’d do naturally: search for food with effort, curiosity and movement.

The “food toy” that changes the atmosphere in the run

A straightforward idea, used for decades in zoos and animal care centres, is becoming popular with backyard keepers: environmental enrichment using toys that release food gradually.

For hens, the star of the show is almost comically simple: a tough, holed ball filled with grain or small bits of veg.

When food leaves the static feeder and starts coming out of a ball that rolls and rattles, the run wakes up within minutes.

The logic is simple: instead of serving treats in a dish, you put them inside the ball. The hens have to push, peck and roll it to make the bits drop onto the ground. Each movement becomes a reward.

Buy one or make your own?

You can buy them from pet shops and agricultural suppliers, but a DIY version works perfectly well. The main thing is the material and the size of the holes.

Option	Advantage	Care needed
Ready-made ball	Designed for feed and easy to clean	Check the plastic is robust and non-toxic
DIY ball	Very low cost and can be sized to your flock	Avoid brittle plastic and sharp edges around drilled holes

A thick, old plastic ball, carefully drilled, can become a functional toy. The holes should be large enough for food to drop out, but small enough that it doesn’t empty in seconds.

What to put inside: combinations that warm and entertain

The filling determines how interested the flock stays. If it’s too dull, they lose motivation quickly. If it’s too calorie-dense every day, you can create new problems, such as obesity.

Ideally, mix nutritious, tempting items cut into pieces slightly smaller than the holes in the ball.

Some options that work well in cold weather:

• Dried mealworms: high in protein and a “gold prize” for most hens.
• Cracked maize (corn): provides energy that helps generate body warmth.
• Small pieces of squash or pumpkin: good use of allotment/garden leftovers, with fibre and vitamins.
• Sunflower seeds: high in fat; use sparingly on very cold days.

A simple trick to keep the novelty longer is to vary the mix. One day, focus on maize and squash; another day, more dried insects plus a few oily seeds. The unpredictability keeps hens curious - they start to “expect” the daily toy.

Movement means a hen that copes better with the cold

Physiologically, this game isn’t just entertainment. Chasing the ball, competing for grains on the ground and repeatedly working the area gets the blood moving and increases metabolic rate.

Active hens generate more of their own heat and cope better with icy gusts and cold nights.

Regular movement reduces the build-up of abdominal fat, which is common in well-fed, under-stimulated flocks during winter. Less fat can mean a lower risk of heart and liver issues, especially in heavier breeds.

There are digestive benefits too. Eating small amounts over the course of a “hunt” supports steadier gut function compared with wolfing everything down in minutes from a fixed feeder.

Turning the game into a daily ritual

To keep results consistent, routine matters. Many keepers choose early afternoon - around 2 pm - as a standard time. The day has warmed a little, and there’s still enough daylight for play.

A simple routine works well:

• Fill the ball with the planned amount of treats.
• Put the toy in the run on a dry, fairly level area.
• Watch for a few minutes to make sure everyone is getting a chance.
• Collect the ball at dusk or once it’s empty.

Bringing it in prevents rats and other night-time visitors being attracted by the last few grains. A weekly wash with hot water is usually enough. If the ground is very muddy, you may need to clean it more often.

How long do hens stay occupied?

With a typical flock of 6 to 12 hens, the ball often provides 30–45 minutes of lively activity. In the first few days, some birds may take a while to work out how it functions. Others learn quickly and effectively “teach” the rest through simple copying.

Risks, fine-tuning and what to watch for

Any enrichment should be monitored closely. A few points deserve attention:

• Overfeeding: the ball should provide treats, not a second full meal. Adjust quantities over time.
• Too much competition: in flocks with a very strict pecking order, dominant birds may monopolise the toy. In that case, two smaller balls can work better than one large one.
• Unsuitable materials: flimsy plastic can split and create sharp shards. Any visible wear means it’s time to replace it.

A switched-on keeper often sees behaviour changes within days: fewer fights, the flock spreading out more, better feather condition and more stable laying, even through prolonged cold spells.

Other ideas to make winter less boring

A treat ball can be the starting point for a winter “programme” in the run. Other simple activities add extra stimulation:

• Hang up a cabbage or kale so hens have to jump and peck.
• Make piles of dry leaves or hay with a few grains hidden inside.
• Add logs or wooden blocks to vary the height of outdoor perches.

Together, these changes create a richer environment. From the outside, they look like games. For the birds, they’re real opportunities to express natural behaviours - even in a modest back garden.

Key concepts worth keeping: boredom, energy use and welfare

Two terms help explain why this ball game makes such a difference: environmental enrichment and foraging behaviour.

Environmental enrichment is any planned change to the surroundings that encourages an animal to move, think and explore. Foraging behaviour is the act of actively seeking food rather than having everything served up. When the ball comes into play, it targets both.

By combining energy use with the satisfaction of “hunting” for food, you can transform winter. What would otherwise be a season of waiting and inactivity becomes a daily game, where every grain that falls from the ball helps warm the body, occupy the mind and keep the flock more balanced until the longer, warmer days return.