Scratch, scratch. Peck, peck. CRUNCH!
Fall leaves are getting plenty of attention at The Tart Farm! Chicken enrichment with leaves is one of the easiest fall farm activities. For our chickens, a leaf pile is a treasure chest. They will not find gold coins inside, though. Their treasure is something tasty to eat! I toss a little chicken scratch over the leaves in their run. Scratch is a mix of grains that chickens enjoy as a treat. Some pieces slip down between the leaves.
Then the hunt begins!

The chickens scratch backward with their feet. They push leaves aside, look for grains, and peck up their prizes. Rustle, rustle! The leaves whisper, “Come find your treats!” Searching for food is called foraging. Scratching and pecking are natural chicken behaviors. Giving animals interesting ways to use their natural skills is called enrichment.
A leaf pile turns snack time into something to explore!

Press play and watch our chickens get to work. What do you notice about the way they scratch and search?

Read, Think, and Giggle

• In this post, I call the leaf pile a “treasure chest.” What does this metaphor help you understand about the chickens?
• The leaves “whisper.” Leaves cannot really talk! What human action have I given them?
• Could the goats really wake the whole mountain? What does this exaggeration tell you about their crunching?

You can see more enrichment activities for our goats in this post: Can Goats Eat Pumpkins?