Accidentally discovered a solution for the digging along the edge issue...

[BryanMaloney]

A have had an issue with Chicken Run 2.0. It has proved secure from external invaders but not from the very birds it is meant to protect. Specifically, the chickens dig under the edge. I had been reading on this site and elsewhere, and the solution that seems to have been agreed on struck me as on the expensive side (pavers, or other stone-like materials). A piece of wood at the bottom was deemed not to work, since the chickens would just dig under it.

It just so happened that I had left a small board lying flat within the chicken run for an unknown amount of time. When I noticed it and started to pick it up, I realized something--while the chickens had dug up the ground next to the board, they made no effort at all to directly burrow under the board. An economical solution was right in my face.

So, I put 1X6s along the bottom of the run's goat wire wainscoting. with most of the board sticking into the run. As I expected, the chickens dug down beside the board but did not burrow under the board. Indeed, their digging actually partially covered the board.

Since I live in south Texas, water damage to wood is almost never an issue. Instead, you have to make sure your wood is dry enough to not heat warp.

 

[Going Quackers]

Nice idea! mine are doing it too, boy chickens rival dogs with digging fortunately ours is side by side our 4ft chain link fence so they cannot dig THAT far but oye. Plus our run has been in that spot for so long it's sunk into the ground too lol

 

[chfite]

Yes, indeed. Mine dig around the periphery of the run while inside. My fencing extends 24 inches past the bottom of the vertical by lying on the ground towards the outside. They can dig around the edge, but nothing can get in from the outside.

Chris