[chicken newby]

I know this prob sounds stupid but my 21 week old chickens have suddenly decided to dig holes in the grass rather than just scratch. Can somebody tell me if this is significant or am I just going to get holey lawn from now on?

[Vember]

Hi CN

Welcome to the Hen House

Sounds to me like your birds are having a lovely soil bath, sadly yes that means the odd hole.

Sarah

[littlewitch]

Hi CN,  Could your girls be looking to make a 'dust bath'?  If they don't have a bare patch to bathe in you could try part burying an old washing=up bowl, put some fine sand or ashes or earth mixed with 'anti-bug/mite' powder in with it to see if they make use of that and so leave your lawn alone.

[poultrygeist]

The area of lawn where our ladies have been looks like the Somme. They love to play trench warfare. 

Rob

[littlewitch]

Oww!!PG!! our girlies have trashed our lawn (our fault really for letting them roam free during recent really heavy rains in this part of S.Wales) OH has taken pity on them by extending their run already (we've only had them since June) and re-laying some prime turf!!?!! he then plans to section off lawn area and re-turf that section by section (Once theirs has taken and they can be left to roam on that on wet days - they have to firstly finish weeding & manuring the allotment at bottom of garden first - they're going great guns with the raised beds so far) Still we've learned our lesson - on really wet days they're going to be 'confined to barracks' (reckon its a small price to pay in an attempt to keep a lawn)!!