Bad behavior

[Sharon Winn]

I have four beautiful hens they stay at both my back doors when i leave them out of coop to free range. They have started eating large holes

in the wooden door frame of both doors. All four of them do it znd they are eating some of the wood shavings. How can I stop this and why are they doing this. Help

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Could it be a nutritional deficiency?

I would repair it immediately. Cover all the bare wood with 'rotted wood stabilizer'. Then fill it with a wood putty for outdoor use. Smooth it off and when cured, paint it.

 

[Morrigan]

It's possible you have some insects burrowing in the wood there that the chickens are attracted to.

 

[Sharon Winn]

I thought about termites because the wood looks pretty rotted in those areas. Can i put something on the wood to stop this that will not hurt the chickens.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As I said in my first post - rotted wood stabilizer. Keep the chickens away till it cures. Then wood putty, then paint.

 

[aart]

Chicken like to eat rotting wood, bugs or not.
They'll peck apart other things too.....keeping them confined to coop and run will cure that.