Enriching the Broiler Chicken: Update

The straw seems to be just the thing. They are scratching around in it, pulling the flakes apart. They climb on top of the flakes, flap their little wings madly, and jump off. I watched one chick use the extra height to launch itself into the feeder rim this morning--that was pretty funny. Broilers commonly develop metabolic disorders that are caused by the rapid increase in muscle tissue and the inability of the skeletal and cardiovascular systems to keep up. The extra exercise they will get from climbing around the straw will be very good for them.