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Daywalker

Chicken excavation!

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Has anyone got mesh on the floor of their run to stop big holes appearing :?: The run looks like a bomb site. :roll: Due to work they only get to free range at the weekends so spend a lot of time in the run. :cry:

 

if the holes get too big, DH just fills them in again when he gets home from work.

 

then again, we don't have a massive run so it's manageable. They love digging for bugs/worms and dust bathing and I wouldn't want to restrict that.

 

If the weather is good enough, they do get about an hours free range time a day, in the afternoon after they've filled up on mash/pellets.

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If they can't freerange very often, they need to be able to dig - both for worms/bugs and in order to dust bath. If you put hemcore on the floor of the run, the holes seem to fill themselves in. The other alternative is to give them a tray filled with play sand/dry compost or similar in which they can dust bath.

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this is our run, 3 sides of it are edged with concrete slabs and the end that is facing the soil has the wire mesh going down into the soil so (hopefully) nothing can dig its way in- DH keeps an eye out for digging activity on the outside.

 

the smaller run (in the background), is on concrete slabs with aubiose on top so (hopefully) this keeps their nails trim.

 

There is also aubiose on top of the soil in the outer run but they've managed to dig all that into the soil now in about a matter of a week! :)

 

**edit, have altered my signature to include a link to photo of run so have removed image from this posting**

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I agree with Poet - what would they do with themselves if they can't dig? Peck each other probably!

 

Mine don't peck each other. They scratch around happily in the Aubiose and dustbathe in their tub of compost. They also peck at the greens that I hang in the run. Never a dull moment.

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I agree with Poet - what would they do with themselves if they can't dig? Peck each other probably!

 

Mine don't peck each other. They scratch around happily in the Aubiose and dustbathe in their tub of compost. They also peck at the greens that I hang in the run. Never a dull moment.

 

but aren't yours free ranging on soil a lot of the time egluntine? (was taking a peek at your photos on your www button) or do they stay in ther run in the winter?

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