Warning about using chicken wire on the ground to prevent digging

[stevenf625]

To prevent Rhialto from digging out of a portable frame-like outdoor enclosure I made for him, I put down a large rectangle of chicken wire on the ground. The chicken wire was type with hexagonal 1" openings.

I figured the wire would keep him from digging out of the enclosure frame while allowing him to eat weeds poking upward through the hexagon openings.

What happened is, while grazing, Rhialto would often bite down on the chicken wire, hard enough that he damaged the sides of his beak, fracturing parts of it off.
For longest time I figured I was seeing some kind of unusual beak growth causing radical re-shaping of his beak. But after witnessing him chomping on the wire a couple of times it dawned on me that what I was seeing was damage.

Thought this might be useful information for the forum. Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Thank you for posting this. When I was making a new pen years ago I put down plastic chicken wire - same thing as yours, only plastic. Then I covered it with about 2" of soil. Over the years the wire worked its way up until in places some was exposed. One day I found a little Russian tortoise with a leg caught through one of the loops of wire, and he had pulled and walked around in a circle until the wire was wrapped tightly around his leg, cutting off the circulation. Luckily, I found him in time before any damage was done.

 

[TammyJ]

Very good information.