Excavation by Birds - A Word of Warning

[aart]

Ok thanks... ours doesn’t drain as well as we’d like. I do put hay in there and it does help but always looking for the next best thing!

Fixing any drainage issues, I had to add a drain to carry runoff farther down run, is important.
Aged ramial wood chippings, and smaller dry materials on occasion, are best IMO.

 

[rosemarythyme]

'Pot Holes'
View attachment 1781885

Those are some impressive pits! My run would probably resemble that if I took out all the obstacles, as the chickens sure love digging around the borders of everything. Every so often I shift items around just to force the chickens to dig somewhere else.

 

[mowin]

I've got a drainage ditch to dig on a clients property. Instead of renting a mini excavator, maybe I'll fence in the area needed to be excavated, and add a flock of chickens. Lol

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Adding more wood chippings is way over due.

'Pot Holes'
View attachment 1781885

Are your birds confined to the run all the time?

 

[aart]

Are your birds confined to the run all the time?

Yes.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Yes.

I had figured. My girls have a dust bathing area that was a hosta garden, the corner they dust bathe in is 4-6 inches lower than the outer parts of the bed. You should see what my birds do after I plant something. “Oh you wanted this azalea to root in? Not on my watch.”

 

[tlatham72]

Do your dogs dig under the current fence???
You have 900 feet to protect from digging predators. Most digging predators dig, because they are not able to go over the top of fence. That would be a secured small run that has top covered/secured as well.
No matter what you try with the perimeter underground, your 900 foot fenced area is still not predator proof for the obvious overhead area open. I suggest you have your coop inside a smaller well secured run that has the top covered as well. This would minimize predators entering.
Most predators that is. Some are nearly impossible to keep out, like mink, and weasels and such from that category . Maybe you wont have those predators to deal with.
Free range in the larger area under some supervision, or when you know the safe cycles. (when you are pretty sure predators will not be there)
I would skip securing the 900 feet for now, and concentrate in the smaller secure run. There are also much less expensive options to secure long perimeters. (Hot Wire works well)
Only effective protection from hawks, is overhead wire/netting.



Nothing is 100% in life. Best we can do is TRY OUR BEST.
Ask anything else you are not sure about....
and WELCOME TO BYC,,,,,,,,,,,,

I think I mixed up two different apron needs and confused things. LOL. I'm definitely planning a well secured run with a roof and attached to my coop for the chick chicks. It will be located just on the other side of the 900ft perimeter fence in the edge of the woods to keep them just a little further from my dogs. That area will have it's own perimeter fence just like the main one but with the added electrified wire and just a small free range area that is between the coop/run and the main fence and used only when I'm present in the area. It is still under the trees.

I totally segued into thinking about my 900ft fence perimeter and primarily making sure my dogs stay contained. I had been thinking I would add an apron to prevent my dogs from trying to dig under (and bonus benefit, predators from digging under). But the dogs containment is a non-negotiable for my sanity and their safety. I'm not certain how MUCH they will dig, but they are definitely diggers. My current house in a neighborhood has a privacy fence. They dig at the bottom of it. They dig at the bottom of my HVAC unit. They did random holes in the middle of the yard. LOL. But maybe when they have a fenced acre of things to investigate and do they won't dig at the fence. (No neighbor dogs on the other side is also a HUGE help.) All that being said, I think I still need the wire mesh to extend down into or onto the ground to deal with any gaps between the bottom rail and the ground that the dogs would be able to easily scoot under or dig just a little in order to scoot under to get out of the yard.

I got confused in regards to better way to stop predators with the electrified wire. Is there a method to install the wire that would prevent predators (or my dogs) from digging under the fence? I've been planning on installing it to (TRY) to prevent bears from going through the fence. And hopefully other predators from going over.

 

[aart]

I had figured. My girls have a dust bathing area that was a hosta garden, the corner they dust bathe in is 4-6 inches lower than the outer parts of the bed. You should see what my birds do after I plant something. “Oh you wanted this azalea to root in? Not on my watch.”

Actually most those holes are not dust baths....they do that in the parts of the runs that are under the coop where it always stays dry.

 

[perchie.girl]

Cobble stones are very prevalent here.... When either dogs or chickens dig I toss in a few cobblestones. But Seriously the Ground squirrels cause more trouble... for me.

Walkin in with 25 pounds of feed Bam the ground gives away.... Ow.... Little B>>ards have to go. they can sink a patio....

deb

 

[cavemanrich]

I got confused in regards to better way to stop predators with the electrified wire. Is there a method to install the wire that would prevent predators (or my dogs) from digging under the fence? I've been planning on installing it to (TRY) to prevent bears from going through the fence. And hopefully other predators from going over.

Electric fencing is effective. If you set one wire on the inside, your dogs would quickly learn to stay away from the fence. Dogs are smart, as well as most of the other animals that get a TASTE OF JULES. On the outside, you would have to set up more than one wire at different heights to cover ALL the unwanted visitors. YES bears included. I will tag @Howard E , as he is an Excellent source of Electric Fence Info.
Here is a thread by him about dogs and electric fences.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/dogs-and-electric-fences.1210854/