How deep do chickens tend to dig?

[anndelise]

After years of debating whether or not to get chickens, and a couple of months trying to come up with a suitable coop design and paddock system for my yard....
I just now remembered that when the previous owners of this lot put in a lawn, they used sod that used bird netting to hold it together. This stuff has been a pain in creating new garden beds! And it dawned on me that the netting might harm chicken feet if they dig deep enough.

I'm planning on getting just australorps. (In case breed matters.)
So...how deep do they tend to scratch? Are we talking less than 6" or more than 6"??

I don't think I have the fortitude to dig up the whole back area for coop, run, and paddocks, to get rid of this stuff.
But I don't want it to hurt my future hens.
This might be the final straw forcing me to give up on the idea of having chickens.

 

[centrarchid]

Less than 6" when in dirt. Mulches can be more.

 

[anndelise]

Thank you for answering, centrarchid.
I'm a little less scared of that potential now.

 

[junebuggena]

It also depends on the soil in your area. I have really sandy soil, so my girls can actually dig dust bath areas that are almost a foot deep in places.