Chicks are digging a hole to China! *PICS*

[Rebekah]

My 7-week-old Cochins and 4-week-old Speckled Sussex chicks are making holes for their dustbaths and nearly digging their way out of their pen!

Is this normal??

The coop is in the tiny garden area of my tiny urban yard, so digging wire down into the ground around it may be difficult at this point.

Does anyone other suggestions on preventing them from digging a tunnel to freedom? I can't believe the tenacity of these little birds. At first, they would dig their dust-pits and then fill them back in by the end of the day. This is no good...

My mini-coop in my garden [a run extension will be added on in the next couple weeks]:

The hole [we had to shoo them away to take the photo]:

The offenders in the garden [I pressume that they want my vegetables!]:

 

[slightlyscrambled]

maybe line it with bricks?

beautiful yard by the way!

 

[sparkles2307]

Totally off topic but your portfolio on flikr is AMAZING, just what I have always been able to do and never quite captured!

 

[chickbea]

Chickens do seem to like to dig against fencing; I don't know why. I have rocks around the interior and exterior of the pen to discourage digging - the interior ones keep the chickens from digging out, the exterior ones help keep other critters from digging in.

 

[clickie]

I'm not sure what to do but your coops are nice and bright. very cool.

 

[tragic59]

I'm no expert (check my post count!) but I wonder if they're digging out in order to dig out, not for a dust bath...

I would think that placing some decent size rocks around the perimeter of the coop would prevent them from digging under it...

Maybe???

 

[lux_interior]

yes! very cute yard and coop.....


have you actually seen them in the process?? It could be a dog or raccoon or something at night.... I have a similar hole, because I have a 10 month old boxer who REALLY wants to play with the chickens....

 

[lux_interior]

oh, and..... if it is just them dust bathing, then yes, that is very normal. They all dust bathe... that just seems like such a big hole for only a few young birds... I have about 20 outside, and my oldest 5 are full grown, and they make pretty big holes, just not nest to fences.... I would maybe make them a shallow box and fill it with sand, dirt, and wood ash, then they will have a nice bathing box... since your birds apparently REALLY like to dust bathe!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

how funny! i was just walking across the henyard and i said:

ohmigosh those chickens are digging to china!!!

hee hee he

and yes its normal but you might want them to dig somewhere else b/c it looks like they or something could get under the fence???

 

[ducks4you]

I'm with THEM!

Put in the bricks and FEED THEM MORE TREATS!!!!
...to keep 'em busy