Raising chickens in your backyard is no easy task. Simply buying and decorating a chicken coop might not suffice for keeping these little birds healthy.
Being from a Texas suburb, I've had some experience in breeding chickens in my backyard over the years. Chickens are intelligent birds and must be kept happy and active for their good health. Lack of activities often leads to behavioral issues in them, including obesity, feather pulling, and bullying.
My primary concern has always been to keep my chickens active and engage them in different activities to maintain their overall health and well-being. Hence, I started looking for different toys that are specially designed to keep the chickens active so that they don't get bored.
Hi, I'm Stacy! Today, I'll review five of the best toys for chickens to help you keep these little backyard birds entertained and healthy. So, without further ado, let's begin!
Top 5 Toys For Chickens
1. Ware Manufacturing Peck N Play Chicken Ball Toy
The Peck N Play chicken ball toy from Ware Manufacturing is specially designed to entertain chickens by keeping boredom in control. These balls are quite innovative and can hold little treats to engage the backyard birds in fun activities. I've been quite satisfied with the health of my chickens after using these ball toys.
Product Highlights
When it comes to chicken toys, it's essential that they are designed to keep the birds engaged in fun activities. In this context, I believe the ball toys from Ware Manufacturing are quite brilliant because they can keep your chickens busy throughout the day. Your backyard birds can chase these adorable plastic toy balls all across the backyard.
The small bells inside each ball will also help to attract the chickens. Moreover, you can fill these toy balls with tasty chicken treats that'll make the birds chase the plastic balls all day long without getting bored or hungry. Hence, the product can encourage healthy eating in your chickens.
On top of this, the toy balls have a durable plastic structure, making them completely dishwasher safe. So, you can wash them daily in the dishwasher without worrying about them breaking and maintain the good health of your chickens.
What's There To Like About It?
I have chickens of different ages in my backyard, and these ball toys work perfectly to keep all of them active. I especially like the small bell that's inside each ball because my chickens are instantly attracted to the ball toys once they hear the jingling sound of the bells.
Plus, the vibrant colors of the plastic balls seem to be quite appealing to my little backyard birds. They can play with these ball toys in my backyard all day without getting bored.
What's There Not To Like About It?
The ball toy comes with eight microscopic screws that you must unscrew to fill the ball with chicken treats. When I first started using these ball toys, I couldn't open the screws and had to stuff the treats through the gaps in the outer design of these balls. Hence, I think filling these balls with chicken treats can be tricky.
Pros and Cons of Ware Manufacturing Peck N Play Chicken Ball Toy
Pros
Cons
- 3 Ware Peck N Play Balls, 4.5 inches each
- Perfect boredom busting ball toys for backyard birds
- Rolling toy holds tasty chicken treats such as lettuce and veggies
2. Woiworco Chicken Xylophone Toys And Vegetable Hanging Feeder
A little music can be quite effective in keeping chickens entertained while facilitating healthy behavioral activities. The toy xylophone from Woiworco is excellent in encouraging your chicken to engage in fun activities, while the veggie feeder ensures that these backyard birds are well-fed. Rest assured your chickens will stay healthy and entertained with this toy set.
Product Highlights
Who said music is only for humans? Your chickens can also be entertained with some good music. The toy xylophone from Woiworco is the perfect way to keep your chickens entertained and busy to avoid boredom.
Plus, the bright colors of the xylophone are quite appealing to the backyard birds. Hence, you can decorate the chicken coop with this toy xylophone to make it look more attractive and fun. Moreover, the veggie feeder is an excellent way to keep the birds active and healthy.
You can simply hang two to three types of vegetables on the veggie feeder and leave them inside the coop for the chickens to eat. In that way, you can ensure that the birds remain well-fed throughout the day without needing to chase them across the backyard. So, I think this toy set can help keep your chickens active and entertained.
What's There To Like About It?
I was pretty attracted to the bright colors of the toy xylophone and how vibrant they made it look. The eight different colors were excellent in attracting my chickens to the toy.
Plus, the xylophone music was pretty great at keeping the chickens in their coop so that they didn't get bored. Not only that, but the veggie feeder also made it quite easy to feed the chickens round the clock.
What's There Not To Like About It?
The xylophone comes with a mirror hanging at its end that can scare away little chicks. Plus, the mirror on my xylophone set broke after a while, which was quite dangerous for the safety of the chickens. So, if you ask me, it's far less suitable for baby chicks compared to the Peck N Play ball toys.
Pros and Cons of Woiworco Chicken Xylophone Toys And Vegetable Hanging Feeder
Pros
Cons
- High Quantity: Package includes 1 x Chicken Xylophone Toys, 2 x Chicken Veggie Feeder. Chicken Xylophone base is made of wood, key made by metal. Veggies feeder is made of stainless steel, safe and durable
- Bright Color: Chicken xylophone toy key has 8 different colors, easily attract chickens’ attention, provide fun for chickens by pecking it and relieve their boredom
- Music Toy: A premium design for chicken entertainment. Equipped with hooks, Xylophone and Veggies Skewer can hang in the chicken coop. Xylophone also has bells, will make a sound when chicken peck it
3. Vehomy Chicken Xylophone Toy
Next, we have another xylophone toy for your chickens to keep them entertained. The xylophone is quite easy to install, and you can mount it inside or outside the bird coop without using any extra tool. It can be quite effective in engaging the chickens in fun activities and keeping away their boredom.
Product Highlights
The Vehomy xylophone toy has a sturdy pinewood design, making it an ideal pecking toy for your chickens. It is painted with bright colors to make it appealing to the birds so that they get attracted to the xylophone and peck it. The eight musical keys create different musical notes every time the chickens peck the xylophone.
Moreover, chickens tend to get bored staying inside the coop. By installing the xylophone inside their coop, you can ensure that your backyard birds stay busy and entertained to maintain their health and well-being.
It's an excellent way to engage the chickens in physical activities because constant pecking at the xylophone can be a good physical exercise for the birds. Furthermore, the toy xylophone comes with built-in bolts and wings, making it an easy-to-install decoration item for your chicken coop. Thus, you can install the toy inside the bird coop to polish it up.
What's There To Like About It?
The easy installation of this toy xylophone makes it an instant attraction among poultry owners. I simply placed the xylophone inside the coop by tilting it against the wall without needing any tools. The vibrant colors of the wooden xylophone also helped in attracting the birds.
Furthermore, its size is perfect for the chickens of all breeds, and the sturdy wooden design makes it an ideal pecking toy. The xylophone was able to withstand my chickens' constant pecking and clawing for months without breaking down.
What's There Not To Like About It?
Compared to the Woiworco xylophone, this Vehomy toy xylophone produces softer music that might not be loud enough for the chickens. When I installed the xylophone in the chicken coop, some of the older chickens got bored with pecking the xylophone due to its soft music. However, the baby chicks were quite attracted to the soft music.
Pros and Cons of Vehomy Chicken Xylophone Toy
Pros
Cons
- Funny Chicken Toy: The xylophone toy is special designed for chickens. Each xylophone was fitted with a built-in bolt, two gaskets and a metal wing nut, so that it can be mounted on the inside or outside of the chicken cage, no extra tool is required for installation. You can also just put it on the ground, it will be tilted at an Angle for the chicken to peck at. When your chickens peck at the chicken xylophone toy, it makes beautiful sounds.
- Size and Material: Wood base and metal keys. The body of the xylophone is 24*12*3cm/9.4*4.7*1.2inches. Perfect size for all breeds chickens.
- Function: Chickens are always attracted by crisp sounds and bright colors. They will explore toys with their beaks and claws. Your chicken will enjoy and love this chicken toys. It will provide fun for chickens by pecking it and relieve their boredom.
4. Deloky Chicken Xylophone Toy Set
The Deloky xylophone toy set was one of the very first chicken toys that I used to keep my birds entertained. It's a three-piece toy set, including a xylophone, a mirror, and a veggie feeder, and you can install it inside the chicken coop. This toy set can help you maintain the overall health and well-being of the chickens.
Product Highlights
Chickens are curious birds, and they must be kept busy to keep them healthy. This three-piece toy set can be quite effective in encouraging your backyard birds to engage in fun activities. It can keep the birds busy, so they don't get bored while sitting inside the coop.
Furthermore, feeding the birds becomes much easier, thanks to the veggie feeder included in the toy set. You can simply hand the fruits and vegetables using the veggie feeder and make sure that the chickens don't step on the food. Thus, the chicken food remains clean and fresh without making a mess inside the coop.
The set also has a toy xylophone with eight musical keys for creating soft music that appeals to the chickens. These musical notes make the birds more inquisitive as they continue to peck the xylophone. Hence, it helps keep the birds busy by engaging them in regular physical activities.
What's There To Like About It?
Keeping the chickens well-fed throughout the day is essential for maintaining their good health. On that note, the veggie feeder that came with this toy set made it quite easy for me to feed my chickens without running around in the backyard chasing them.
I could simply hang different types of fruits and vegetables on the veggie feeder and place them inside the coop for the little birds. Hence, I didn't have to worry about feeding my chickens hourly with this toy set.
What's There Not To Like About It?
When it comes to chicken toys, they need to be sturdy. But, the Deloky toy xylophone has a flimsy design that's not suitable for long-term use, unlike the Vehomy or Woiworco xylophone chicken toy. In fact, the xylophone in my chicken coop broke within a few weeks after installation due to the constant pecking and clawing.
Pros and Cons of Deloky Chicken Xylophone Toy Set
Pros
Cons
- 🐓【Creative chicken toys】Chickens are always attracted by crisp sounds and bright colors. This toy can provide fun for chickens by pecking it and relieve their boredom.
- 🐓【Chicken mirror toys】Made of wooden and acrylic mirrors,The mirror toy hanging grinding stone&bell,When your chicken pecks at it,they always be attracted.The one side mirros were covered by protective film, please peel off it before used the chicken mirror toy.
- 🐓【Perfect Chicken Toys set】3pcs chicken toy including 1pc Chicken Xylophone Toy with 8 metal keys,1 pc Chicken Wood Mirror Toy with Bell and 1pc Chicken Veggies Skewer Fruit Holder.
5. EBaokuup Three-Piece Chicken Toys
As we come to the end of our list, we have the three-piece chicken toy set from EBaokuup. It has a toy xylophone, a shredding toy, and a chicken mirror. You can decorate the bird coop with these toys to keep the chickens happy and healthy. The toy set can be an excellent solution in keeping the backyard birds active.
Product Highlights
When it comes to keeping the chickens busy and entertained, this three-piece toy set offers an excellent solution. It has a toy xylophone that creates soft music every time your chickens peck the metal keys. The music can be quite appealing to the backyard birds and keep them entertained.
Plus, the toy mirror that comes with the set works to attract the chickens. It has a small hanging bell that jingles every time your birds peck the mirror. Your chickens will get quite excited every time they see their reflection in the mirror and try to peck themselves. Hence, the toy mirror can be an excellent way to engage the chickens in physical activities to avoid boredom.
However, if you're not satisfied with the product, you can easily return it and get a full refund from the manufacturer. You can also contact the 24-hour customer support team if you face any problems while using this chicken toy set.
What's There To Like About It?
I was quite attracted to the natural wooden material of the xylophone. The pinewood structure made it completely safe for my chickens, so they could peck the musical metal keys of the xylophone all day long without facing any health hazards.
Plus, the toy mirror kept the chickens entertained as they thought they were pecking themselves. It made them more curious and encouraged them to stay busy with their constant pecking.
What's There Not To Like About It?
Although the set comes with different chicken toys to keep the birds engaged and entertained, it can seem overly expensive compared to the Woiworco or other xylophone toy sets.
For instance, my backyard birds were primarily interested in the mirror and xylophone. They didn't even play with the shredding toy. Hence, the toy set may not offer a great value for your money.
Pros and Cons of EBaokuup Three-Piece Chicken Toys
Pros
Cons
- Package Including: 1 x chicken xylophone toy, 1 x chicken mirror toy and 1 x natural colorful Loofah Shredding Toys. With convenient hook design, you can easily install on the cage, coops or fence.
- Perfect Chick Toy Set: The chicken xylophone toys are specially designed for chicken entertainment, provide fun for chicken by playing and pecking it and relieve their boredom. The bright color will encourage your chicken to explore the toy with their beak and claws.
- Natural Wooden Material: The chicken xylophone toy is made of natural pinewood base and 8 metal keys. The chicken mirror toy is made of natural pinewood and acrylic mirror. The chicken Shredding Toy is made of natural material, non-toxic and harmless, safe for your pets to play and peck.
Buyers Guide
Now that you know about the best toys for chickens, it's time to look at some of the key features you must consider while purchasing the most suitable chicken toy. So, in this buyer's guide, I've discussed the main criteria that greatly helped me in making a well-informed purchase. Read on to know more!
1. Fun And Entertainment
The main function of a chicken toy is to keep the bird busy and entertained so that they don't get bored while sitting in their small coop. It's always a good idea to look for toys to encourage your chickens to engage in fun activities and keep them active. For instance, the Peck N Play plastic balls can ensure that your chickens get to run across the backyard while chasing the balls.
Similarly, a toy mirror can help in raising the curiosity of the birds when they see their reflection and encourage them to engage in continuous pecking. A toy xylophone is also an excellent option to keep these backyard birds entertained and avoid boredom. Hence, always select products that come with an element of fun to keep your chickens active and entertained.
2. Attractiveness
Before purchasing a chicken toy, you need to think - will it appeal to the little backyard birds? Chickens are sensitive animals, and they are easily attracted to bright colors and soft noises. Hence, if you choose a multi-colored xylophone for the chicken coop, the birds will be instantly attracted to the vibrant colors of the toy.
Moreover, the music of the xylophone every time the birds peck the keys will make the toy even more appealing to them. Plus, the bells on the toy mirror can effectively attract chickens because of their soft jingling sound. So, toys that are bright and colorful and can make soft sounds are usually more appealing to the chickens.
3. Safe And Harmless
Maintaining the health and well-being of your chickens is the first thing that you need to consider while purchasing a toy for the birds. It's best to carefully inspect the material of the toys to determine whether they are completely safe for the chickens. For instance, if a toy xylophone is made from 100% natural pinewood, it's absolutely harmless to the birds.
At the same time, veggie feeders made from stainless steel can ensure the safety of your chickens without causing any health hazards. Always look for chicken toys that are chemical-free and easy to clean. In that way, you can ensure that the health and safety of those little backyard birds aren't compromised.
4. Easy To Install
If you're planning to decorate the bird coop with some attractive and fun chicken toys, always choose toys that are easy to install. A bird coop has limited space, so try not to purchase large toys because you can't install them in the small coop. So, carefully consider the size of the chicken toy to install them inside the coop easily.
In this context, the Vehomy toy xylophone can be an ideal choice because you won't require any extra tools while installing it. You can also think of hanging some veggie feeders inside the coop to feed the chickens without any hassle.
5. Affordability
When selecting the best chicken toy, you need to consider the product's affordability to ensure that it offers great value for your money. The price of the chicken toys can vary depending on their quality.
In this context, xylophone chicken toys with a toy mirror and a veggie feeder are usually more costly than plastic ball toys. Also, the three-piece chicken toy sets are more expensive than other toys. Hence, it's always best to consider your available budget before purchasing any chicken toy.
FAQs
Chickens must be kept active at all times to ensure their good health. These birds develop behavioral issues, like feather pulling and bullying, when they become lazy, especially during the winter months. Hence, it's essential to ensure that the birds do not get bored and are encouraged to engage in physical activities.
A toy xylophone has eight musical keys that produce different musical notes every time your chickens peck the toy. This soft sound can attract your chickens and make them more curious, leading them to engage in fun activities.
Every time your chickens see their reflection in the toy mirror, they'll grow curious and start pecking the mirror repeatedly. Hence, a toy mirror can keep your chickens entertained and engage them in some physical exercises.
My Final Recommendation
Choosing the best chicken toy is quite essential if you want to keep your chickens in good health and look after their overall well-being. After going through my product reviews, I hope you have a better idea regarding the best toys for chickens and why they are important.
If you want to know my recommendations, I suggest you choose the Ware Manufacturing Peck N Play Chicken Ball Toy or the Woiworco Chicken Xylophone Toy Set. They are safe, durable, and ideal for keeping these backyard birds active. However, you can always look for other attractive and fun chicken toys before deciding on your favorite product.
And on that note, I’ll sign off. Take care and see you next time!