[newChickenMummy]

My girls have dug so many holes around their coop that I'm worried it will soon become unstable!  I keep filling the holes in but they just dig them out again. Also has anyone else's run become like a mud/poo bath over the last couple of weeks? I poo pick daily with a thorough clean once a week but it just seems so grubby lately, we put in a ramp so they would have a bit more room to play in on top of their coop but this is also now covered in poo although they seem to love it and are up there nosing around as soon as I let them out in the morning.

Run is only half covered so am going to get it completely covered this weekend hopefully this will help with the mudbath but still it seems so dirty compared to when we first had them.

Looking at all the pictures on here everyone else's runs look so clean. Should I just chill out about it? Is this normal?

[themagicaltoad1]

Have you thought about putting slabs under the coop? that way they wouldn't be able to dig holes.

[newChickenMummy]

That seems a bit mean though as they seem to love digging. Am I the only one with chickens who dig??

[funny farm]

Hi Chicken mummy,
you are not alone, all my chucks love to dig holes, sure I think they want to get to Oz, they also love to scratch around and have dirt baths, yes plenty of holes and poo,
take care,
funny farm.

[themagicaltoad1]

You could slab just around the edge to stop it becoming unstable and put bark chippings down to help with the muddy bits, mine love scratching around in the chippings for insects etc.

[bee]

I have slabs round the edge and under the run, pinned down by the slabs, is wire. On top is a thick layer of wood chip. However, when they dig, because of the wire they can only dig down so far and then they have to start a new hole. Keeps 'em occupied!

[Callie]

Mine are all holes and poo too 

I have 2 younger birds we have reared that we built a temporary run for near the house and they found a planter to bath in.... they've grown so much but still squash themselves into it throwing the dirt everywhere even though they now have the whole garden to bath in

[coco]

we have our hen house stood on a concrete slab, the rest of the run was grass ... its now full of holes, I'm amazed at how far down they've dug  they have a few conifers in there and if they go much further I'm sure they'll have some of the trees down as they're digging up they roots .. lol  I just sweep the soil back when they're in bed, and they have the fun of kicking it all back up again 

xx

[chickenlady]

  you not got the only diggin chickens!  my girls run has the party fence as one of their boundaries and the amoint of times i think they are gonna dig under the fence and end up next door!  luckily he loves chickens! just think he might be a bit shocked to see one come up from under the fence! 

Debbie