What is this?? (Pictures)

[jjak2001]

I just built a coop, and my chicks have been in there for a week now. Yesterday I noticed that something tried to burrow under the coop. I have about two feet of 1/2 inch hardware wire buried. Do you think that's deep enough? Here's some pictures of the tunnel marks and holes.. The holes are about 2 inches in diameter..







The last pic is before we buried it... We also enclosed the whole run in 1/2 inch hardware wire..



What do you guys think??

 

[steelchair]

Is there any loose dirt around the holes? It almost looks like there was a void space and the dirt is settling in? Can you see animal tracks? Has it recently rained?

 

[gamelife]

I bet it's a gopher. We had the same issue but the gopher managed to burrow its way inside. I saw its head poking out of the hole and nibbling on the feed that was on the ground. I flushed him out and he hasn't been back since.
btw that's an awesome looking pen you got there, I like the long run.

 

[redstarmama]

It looks a lot like a chipmunk hole. We have them all over our yard and occasionally they make their way in to steal corn or bits off of the flock block when we have one out.

 

[jjak2001]

I was hoping it wasn't a rat hole.. Thanks for the replies!

 

[jjak2001]

Thanks!

 

[jjak2001]

I haven't seen animal tracks, and it just rained..

 

[steelchair]

I would fill in the holes and use a shovel handle to pack the dirt in. Not sure how well you packed the loose dirt after you filled it in around your fence, but I would walk on it to pack it in. The cracks in the dirt look like the dirt is settling. I worked for an excavating company for three years and have seen my fair share of shovel work. If you had any air space behind the fence in the ground it will take awhile before the dirt makes its way into the voids. Hope this helps.

 

[Kikiriki]

Looks like a mole/vole tunnel to me. Right size in diameter, too. Pesky but harmless.

They are tearing up my garden at present, so Ive been researching. The ultrasonic deterent sticks dont seem to do well in dense or heavy soils. I considered putting a boombox in a plastic box, burying, and playing some dissonant heavy metal for them as my soil is sandy and I cant afford the sticks.

I read you can deter moles with peppermint or eucalyptus scent. I dont want to poison it as I have dogs, and would prefer not to kill it all...I figure it is snacking on grubs attacking the roots of my plants but it is uprooting everything in the process! I will try a mix of water and Dr. Bronner's peppermint, tea tree, and eucalytus soaps, as this is what I will be using as an insect repellent on the plants. This is a way to use something I have for double duty. I plan on watering it down much more for the moles: enough to where it just smells nice and strong, pouring it around the problem areas and watering it in. The insect repellent is 2 tbs of soap (total) to a quart a water. A lady who sold me some tomato plants used this and she had no insect problems!

I have to add we dont have gophers or weasles here and I dont know anything about them: do they make such small tunnels? Will gophers harm the chickens?

 

[redstarmama]

My other thought was moles as well. To get rid of them in my side yard we stuff the holes with dog waste and they go away every time!