Battle between our chickens and me!

[Wellbie]

As chicken owners we all know how chickens like to dig up them Holes ... right? Well this spring we got our first six chickens one of which is a crested cream legbar she is a big-time digger and has been digging along the edge of the run and I'm sure she's the instigator of most of the digging. She digs,I cover, she digs, I cover, you get the picture. Well today is I was covering up the holes and she looked at me like I had wronged her in some way and I swear it seems as though she was cussing me out! Well I guess I'll be battling her for the next 8-10 years the battle rages on but who will win the war!?!? At least she lays blue eggs!

 

[Allthefloofs]

I feel you! I have two holes that I am constantly filling with sand and by the next day they are holes again! I would care way less if they weren't against the run wall! When we got chickens I worried about things tunneling in, now I worry about the girls tunneling out

 

[21hens-incharge]

I feel your pain. Between chickens digging in undesirable places and dogs digging tiger traps in the kennel I seem to ALWAYS have a shovel in my hands.

PS: If anyone figures out where the dogs are hiding the dirt please let me know.

 

[WVBirdsAndBees]

I feel your pain as well. Our oldest cream legbar and her olive egger partner in crime have managed to escape to range no matter how secure we make the run. Over, under, through - It's like a game. One they always win eventually.

 

[RojoMarz]

I just leave the holes...guess they won already.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I feel you! I have two holes that I am constantly filling with sand and by the next day they are holes again! I would care way less if they weren't against the run wall!

Best way I found to discourage this is put something against the run walls that they're working on. I use large branches since we have those in excess, as well as bricks and rocks around fence posts (they were eating the concrete ). You can also use wood boards, pavers, etc. Just something that'll keep them from working right at the edge of the fence.

 

[aart]

I don't bother to fill the holes, they usually fill them back up again.
I do put stuff around the inner edges of run tho or they'll dig out under the 'anti-dig' apron.
Boards and log and pavers and bricks....also around anywhere else I don't want them to dig, like the coop shed piers and the concrete blocks at bottom of ramps...
....oh, and the paver threshold around run door.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/excavation-by-birds-a-word-of-warning.1086535/