urbanchick Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 My 3 girls have made a very deep dust bath in the corner of the run and it now looks quite vulnerable to a fox getting in, especially if the soil gives way. What do I do? They free range most of the time so I don't know why they've done it there, and they've started one in another corner. It isn't an option to move the run as it's wedged very tightly into the space it's in and even slightly moving it means I won't be able to pull out the droppings trays. If I fill in the holes they will just burrow again. Does anyone have any suggestions? Look at the hole here: http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/2402682/1/195875335/Large (password is chicken) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 My chooks do the same... it drove me mad at first, I thought the chooks could just as well put a big sign there saying 'Mr Fox- look here, vulnerable spot'... we have our eglu and run on a woodchip area, so we covered the whole thing with chicken wire, then put the woodchips on top (except inside the run itself, so the chooks can still dig and play). So the whole area around the run has wire underneath, doubling up with the eglu run's own fox proof skirting... no fox has managed to get in so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harveypup Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Wow that is some dust bath. Not sure what to suggest as our run is on mud covered concrete with horse bedding. Perhaps your chooks are trying to get to Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bantam of the Opera Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 woah, that makes my chickens dustbath look so pathetic. i think mine need lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladylucan Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Love the piccys, mine used to do that so i actually put a couple of bricks on the outside just incase. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 I've put a couple of old paving stones on top of the skirt at the front of my run. It makes the run impossible to lift at all (even a very strong fox with his mates in tow would have his work cut out ) & gives you somewhere dry(ish) and mud-free to kneel when filling the grub/glug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkleeeeee Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 my leghorns (that i have now rehomed) used to dig huge holes so i put some of that rubber ground support from playgrounds down and covered it in bliss (like hemcore) so they couldnt do it but the bugs could still get through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanchick Posted September 16, 2007 Author Share Posted September 16, 2007 Well I'm going to have to do something quick. I was woken up by a fox (or two) screaming last night. One cat like noise was coming from the bottom of our garden where the eglu is and at the same time there was a fox on top of the shed over the road barking. This morning I saw mud on the run cover and it had left its calling card a few feet away from the eglu run door. More worryingly, I there are signs of burrowing outside of skirt right next to the hole! I'm going to B&Q to get some reinforcements and I shall fill the hole today and maybe put some large stones in to stop the girls digging it up again. I am even nervous about letting them out in the day now. I can't get foxwatch as I have a dog and the website says it affects dogs as well as foxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Redchick: Do not let your hens free-range unsupervised, even for a moment, if you have foxes around. I don't think the digging from the inside is too serious. Mine do it too, as I have light sandy soil, and they are almost under the skirt at one point. But I have heavy bricks and plants around the edge, and no fox has tried to dig in to meet them yet. Is your Eglu one of the new ones that has the two extra square panels to protect the weak spot near the Eglu where foxes have been known to dig in? If not, I would purchase these panels quickly, or put some other kind of mesh there. Never trust foxes. I have been blissfully fox-free for three months, but saw one eyeing up my hens yesterday afternoon in broad daylight, and it didn't even run away when it saw me. Urban foxes are fearless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James H Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 thats one big dustbath, maybe your chickens like the idea of being very cosy, but it does look a bit vunerable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 You definitely need reinforcements on the outside of the run. Mine did this and almost tunnelled out - the hole extended under the run skirt! Luckily my logroll hugged the run skirt so there was no room for anything to dig in from the outside, and they couldn't dig any further. I had a look at your picture and although you have a log roll edging, the hole seems to be in the bit where the log roll goes around the tree! Would be worth putting more netting down as someone else has suggested, maybe even extending it into the cube run to stop them burrowing so close to the edge. Little madams aren't they?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanchick Posted September 16, 2007 Author Share Posted September 16, 2007 Thanks everyone. I have put some slabs around and slightly overlapping the skirt, extending the distance that the fox would have to tunnel to get into the run. I filled in the dustbath with earth and a couple of logs to stop them digging there again, but they quickly starting digging to the side of it! I am thinking that the simplest solution would be to bury a barrier below the surface just outside the run, but I don't know how deep it would have to go. It is such a shame not to be able to let them free range as much now. I want to get a run extension but it is just about impossible to fit it in that space, so I may have to move the cube somewhere else. I will be interested to see if the foxes come out again tonight. I did some research and it seems the grown up cubs may be leaving the nest now and spreading out to find new territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 what are these 2 extra squares for the eglu?? I don't know if I've got them or not as I got my eglu off ebay - it's a Mk 2 one but not sure what these panels are and where they go, I'm just worried as my 2 have started digging similar dust baths and one is near the eglu next to the run skirt - it is weighted down with bricks on the outside of the run skirt as if they dig any further there will be a gap between the soil and run skirt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Mine's a Mk II as well. The squares are separate, extra bits of the run wire, about 1 ft square, which you attach with clips to the ends of the skirt where it meets the front of the eglu (so they kind of go along the side of the actual eglu). Hope that makes sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogs Too Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Can you move the run a bit so the dust bath isn't at the edge any more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanchick Posted September 18, 2007 Author Share Posted September 18, 2007 I had already done that and they just dug to the edge again. In fact they have now tunnelled half way under the skirt, I just can't stop them. I have now put slabs down which I am confident will stop a fox tunnelling as the slabs butt up against a tree trunk.. BUT can a fox move them? How heavy do they have to be? At least I am happy they are in their cube with the door shut at night - that IS fox proof, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themoomin Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Mine are digging too, same sort of thing as RedChick but not yet quite as impressive ... As my run is now in a permanent position on my lawn (lawn? LAWN? Hahahaha! ) I thought of lifting the run and digging an area a couple of inches deep then filling it with HemCor or something, putting the run back then weighing the edges down with rockery stones on the outside - does that make sense? I daren't let the girls out in the day when no-one is home, so I want to make the time they have to spend in there as pleasant as possible with lots to scratch about in ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Mine are just living on soil covered with aubiose. They can make impressive holes, can't they? It's a shame we can't get them to garden for us by turning over the soil in just the place we need it turning, & they could be trained not to eat the plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
