Single hen

[emmat]

I am new to this forum so hope i've done this properly!

 

i have 3 ginger nuts in my garden, Betty, Hilda and Whilomena. i love them, they're ace.

 

when left alone in their eglu they dig. and dig. and dig a bit more.

 

they've made a hole about 6 inches deep and a foot wide. we keep filling it in and they keep digging. i put big stones in to stop them but they got them out!

 

my concerns are thus: a fox might take up the dig on the otherside of the run and get them! And - they flick all the dirt into their water and make it mucky in 2 minutes flat.

 

is this normal chook behaviour???

 

any advice is appreciated!

[xChicken04x]

Hiya, welcome to the forum

It sounds like your chooks are making a dustbath, its a natural way to get rid of parasites on them and to get clean. If you don't like them digging then get a cat litter tray or storage tray and fill it with play sand or compost and put it in the run so they can dustbath in that!

 

Hope i helped!

xx

[emmat]

Thanks! That's great, I like the thought of them having a sand bath!

[Popcorn]

Hello Emma,

 

If you have your run on soil, or similar loose ground you may want to add some extra precautions to stop a fox digging under. It's not a dead cert a fox will be able to get in but it would most certainly be a weak spot if the hens had dug down too on the other side. We put oblong planters at the edge of the skirt as our run is on fairly loose ground. You could also get some sort of wooden edging and knock that into the ground along the edge of the skirt.

 

The dust bath idea is also a good one, and will keep them busy.

[Egluntyne]

Hello and welcome.

 

They are making a dustbath!

 

I agree with Gina....weigh the skirt of the Eglu down with boulders to be on the safe side.

[Krysia]

Emma don't worry the chickens love to Dig we have patches everywhere. They have their own large Run that Huuby built and they have 4 main digging areas.

 

Also we let then out of that to free range on grass (their run had been just soil for a long time now!) And we have more holes appearing mainly under shrubs though.

 

You will learn to love those holes but I understand your fears about the fox!

[happychookie]

HI:D:

 

we have got ours on bark cippings .

its brill because you dont have to move the chook home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

plus they dig holes that removes the dung [/u]

[Richard]

love 'em - they adore scratching and digging. Even Arrietty with her wonky leg makes an attempt.

 

You just live with it!