Digging and Piling

[Ascholten]

Recently one of the girls, I have not had the time to actually put hard effort in to watch to see who the culprit is but.
They are digging around in the roosting area, and piling nearly ALL the floor liner pine shavings into a corner. I figured maybe they were digging for bugs or something, but there really are none in there and it's always the same thing, piling it all up in a corner. This just started recently too.

Any ideas what that witches major malfunction is here? The nesting box is right up top so I don't think they are looking to nest, not sure what's up really, it's just a bit of a pain for the morning clean out as the poop is now on the wood floor sometimes and makes a lot of extra effort to get it clean on occasion than if you could just scrape up the pine with it.

Aaron

 

[Mya05]

Recently one of the girls, I have not had the time to actually put hard effort in to watch to see who the culprit is but.
They are digging around in the roosting area, and piling nearly ALL the floor liner pine shavings into a corner. I figured maybe they were digging for bugs or something, but there really are none in there and it's always the same thing, piling it all up in a corner. This just started recently too.

Any ideas what that witches major malfunction is here? The nesting box is right up top so I don't think they are looking to nest, not sure what's up really, it's just a bit of a pain for the morning clean out as the poop is now on the wood floor sometimes and makes a lot of extra effort to get it clean on occasion than if you could just scrape up the pine with it.

Aaron

Perhaps try different bedding?Either they don't like it, they might be making another nest, or they're bored. Those are the only reasons I can think of, besides digging for bugs. Chickens can be funny sometimes.

 

[3KillerBs]

Chickens love to dig. Scratching for food, moving material to make nests, and digging dust baths is instinctive behavior that they need to engage in for their health and well-being.

Do they have access to dirt and bedding in the run to dig in?

 

[Mya05]

Chickens love to dig. Scratching for food, moving material to make nests, and digging dust baths is instinctive behavior that they need to engage in for their health and well-being.

Do they have access to dirt and bedding in the run to dig in?

I forgot dust baths! That could be it too. Mine enjoy the loose dirt and leaves under our trees

 

[Sally PB]

My chickens have a lovely dustbath out in their run, but sometimes I see what looks like an impromptu dustbath in the coop. Go figure!

 

[wf1992]

Mine are doing that too. With the snow, many of them stay inside all day and scratch in the bedding, so it all ends up in the corners.

 

[aart]

Not unusual for coop bedding to get scratched up into piles or in the corners.
Then sometimes they scratch the corners down the to floor.
I just rake it back out every few days.

 

[Ascholten]

Ok thank you for the answers. Yep thats what they are doing, at least she's keeping it in the corners and not throwing it out into the grass part. Thinking it might be boredom as this is my work week, and days are still short so I can't let them out when I get home from work because its dark already so they are in essence, cooped up for a week. In the summer months there is still enough time that I can let them run for an hour, half an hour or whatever before turning them in for the night. Two more days and my week shift is over and they'll get some out time.

Aaron

 

[aart]

and days are still short so I can't let them out

How big is the coop and run, in feet by feet...and how many birds total?
Dimension and pics might help here.

 

[GC-Raptor]

My hens and pullets like to roost near the people door, which makes cleaning the poop easy for me.
I put extra shavings under there.
Yesterday I cleaned under there and put down fresh shavings and as soon as I closed the people door I heard scratching. Yep they scratched through the shavings looking for treats. I had to move the shavings back later.
It was a snowy, windy day yesterday, so they stayed in the coop except treat time when I scattered scratch under the raised coops.

GC