Have you ever wondered why chickens scratch the ground? The answer to that question is more complex than you might think. Chickens scratch the ground for a lot of different reasons. Let’s take a closer look at this fun and quirky behavior.
Contents
- Scratching for Claw Maintenance
- Scratching for Exercise
- Foraging for Food
- Chickens Scratch the Ground For Social Interaction or to Find a Mate
- Scratching and Dust Bathing
- Scratching and Exploring The World
- Why do Chickens Peck The Ground?
- What Happens If Chickens Are Not Able To Scratch and Peck?
- Free Range Chickens
Why Do Chickens Scratch The Ground?
You may see backyard chickens doing lots of scratching and not think twice about it.
Scratching is a good thing and is important for a lot of different reasons. This behavior helps the chickens maintain their claws, exercise, forage for food, find a mate, dust bathe, and explore the world. It’s actually crucial for the chickens life and health that they get to act out this seemingly minor thing. They won’t thrive without the ability to scratch the ground.
Scratching is one of their natural behaviors that play a vital role in helping chickens stay healthy. Here’s an explanation of what they’re really up to.
Scratching for Claw Maintenance
Scratching is a natural chicken behavior and a way for chickens to keep their claws trimmed. A chicken’s claws will grow continuously just like our fingernails.
Their claws will get too long if they can’t scratch the ground. Claws left unchecked will break easily or cause an injury to the bird’s foot. A foot injury will later become infected, possibly leading to death.
It’s really important for your flock’s health to have access to a run or ground area to maintain their claws.
Scratching for Exercise
Scratching is just one of the ways a chicken maintains its physical fitness. This behavior involves a lot of movement for the chicken.
They use their legs and feet to dig into the soil, which strengthens their muscles and keeps them fit. Like us, regular exercise helps chickens maintain a healthy weight and good muscle tone.
Without enough regular activity, chickens can become overweight, which will lead to a lot of health issues. Overweight, unhealthy chickens have difficulty laying eggs.
Chickens are naturally active animals. Honestly, they make me tired just watching them. They never stop moving. If they were living in the wild, they would be active all day finding food. By allowing chickens to scratch for a long time, they can express their natural behaviors.
Physical activity also helps the chickens with digestion. When chickens are able to move around, it increases blood flow to their digestive tract and helps the system to work better. Regular movement helps them to absorb more nutrients.
Foraging for Food
Scratching the ground helps chickens forage for food in several different ways.
When chickens scratch, they use their feet to dig into the soil and turn over leaves. They uncover lots of tasty treats like insects, worms, seeds, and other tiny plants they wouldn’t normally find on the ground surface.
Scratching also reveals fresh, untouched food. For example, seeds and insects buried in the soil are often more nutritious than those on the surface. Digging gives the chicken a lot more variety in their food.
A lot of insects hide just below the surface of the grass. When a chicken scratches, it causes the insect to move which makes it easier for the chickens to see them.
The scratching behavior also aerates the soil which can stimulate more plant growth over time. More plants mean a more secure food source for chickens.
Chickens Scratch the Ground For Social Interaction or to Find a Mate
Scratching is actually a very social activity for chickens and they are very social animals. They’ll gather together in groups and scratch in the same area. I have a large flock of chickens. I love watching their social behaviors because they’ll separate out into little cliques.
While they are scratching together they’re actually helping to maintain the pecking order within the flock. This is very important for reducing conflicts and making sure everyone gets along. You can hear them clucking and making noises to each other while they’re doing this. It’s their way of bonding and maintaining social connections.
Chickens that scratch energetically are seen as healthier and more active. This behavior can attract potential mates because a strong active chicken is more likely to be a good partner. Scratching shows that a chicken is fit and capable of finding food, which is a highly desirable trait when finding a mate.
Rooster Scratching to Impress a Hen
Sometimes roosters will scratch the ground to impress a hen. They’ll scratch and then make a clucking sound to call the hens over to the spot they’ve uncovered. This behavior demonstrates their ability to find food and take care of the flock, which is appealing to the hens.
My roosters sometimes put on a show for me while I’m visiting them in the barnyard. They love to scratch and peck right next to me, watching me closely while they’re doing it.
Scratching for roosters also shows that a rooster is attentive to his hens, which can make a hen more receptive to mating. It’s amazing how a small behavior can help the continuation of a flock through successful breeding.
Scratching and Dust Bathing
You might notice your chickens scratching the ground, digging up loose dirt, and then flopping around in it. It looks like they’re just playing but this is actually one of those instinctive behaviors that’s beneficial to the chicken.
This is weird activity is how chickens clean themselves. Dust bathing helps them get rid of external parasites, excess oil, and dead skin.
It’s also enjoyable for the chicken. The Alabama Extension actually describes this as a “comfort behavior“. They love to dust bathe to reduce stress and relax. It’s very common to find chickens dust-bathing with their best friends and just enjoying the day.
Chickens will also preen to keep their feathers healthy. They rub an oil gland called the preen gland at the base of their tails with their beak. They’ll distribute the oil all over their body. This conditions their feathers and helps to make them waterproof.
A chicken may scratch to create a little hole in the ground to lay some eggs. Free-range chickens are notorious for creating nests and laying eggs in the weirdest places.
Scratching and Exploring The World
Scratching helps chickens become familiar with their environment. They can locate safe areas, water sources, or find shelter. This is really important for their safety and protection from predators.
Chickens are naturally curious animals. Scratching the ground allows them to investigate different textures, smells, and objects. Exploring keeps them mentally engaged and prevents boredom.
Through scratching, chickens learn the best places to find food and the most comfortable spots to rest. This helps them adapt and thrive in their natural environment.
Why do Chickens Peck The Ground?
While scratching the ground, you’ll see chickens also pecking around at what they’ve found. Obviously, they’re eating what they’ve uncovered, but you may also notice them rubbing their beaks along the dirt.
The pecking action helps them wear down their beaks naturally. It’s a lot like filing our nails. A chicken’s beak will also grow continuously like their nails. Pecking helps to keep their beaks from getting too long and too sharp.
By scratching and packing they keep their beaks in good shape so they can keep eating, drinking, and foraging without any issues.
What Happens If Chickens Are Not Able To Scratch and Peck?
When chickens are kept in environments where they can’t scratch and peck the ground like battery cages or overcrowded chicken houses, there are several behavior problems that can arise.
Chickens might start pecking at each other’s feathers which can cause them to have injuries. If a chicken sees blood on another bird this can lead to cannibalism. The behavior often occurs out of boredom or frustration when they aren’t able to have natural foraging behaviors.
Lack of space will also create an inability to perform natural behaviors and can lead to higher stress levels. Stressed chickens are also more likely to become aggressive toward each other which will lead to fights and injuries
Chickens may also have repetitive, purposeless behaviors where they start pacing and pecking at cage walls. This type of behavior is a sign of mental distress.
Being locked inside a cage and unable to scratch and peck will cause a chicken’s heath to decline fast. They’ll lay fewer eggs and have a higher mortality rate.
Free Range Chickens
I know free-ranging isn’t an option for everyone, but it does have its benefits. Chickens that are allowed to scratch and peck freely will be more physically fit and healthy. A healthier chicken means healthier eggs for you.
Chickens that have regular access to the outdoors have eggs that are higher in Omega-3s and vitamin D.
With more space, chickens can establish and maintain a stable pecking order which will reduce a lot of their aggression towards each other.
Exposure to a lot of different environments will also strengthen the chicken’s immune systems making them more resistant to disease.
Read more about the benefits of free-range chickens.
However, if you aren’t able to free-range your flock allowing them ample space and a large run will allow them to do normal chicken things.
Chicken Scratching FAQs
Can chickens scratch for reasons other than practical ones?
Yes, besides foraging and dust bathing, chickens might scratch to communicate with other chickens, mark their territory, and even show affection to their caretakers.
Can I provide my chickens with scratching and pecking opportunities inside of a coop?
Yes, while I always recommend chickens have an outdoor space, or even better free-range, it isn’t always possible. You can give your chickens an environment to exhibit these natural behaviors by providing them with a bedding material such as straw, hay, shavings, or a dirt floor.
What can I do to encourage my chickens to scratch the ground?
To encourage scratching, scatter scratch grains on the ground, provide loose soil or mulch, and create an environment with different textures and objects. This will stimulate the chicken’s natural foraging instincts.
Why Do Chickens Scratch and Peck The Ground? – Final Thoughts
Chickens scratch the ground for a lot of important reasons. They do it to find food like insects and seeds, to keep their feathers clean with dust baths, and to trim their beaks and nails. Scratching also helps them explore more of their environment, stay active, and interact with other chickens.
It’s a natural behavior and essential for their health and happiness.
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