Mud abatement using leaf litter?

[LER23]

So i'm trying to manage my coop run on the cheap. I put down cedar shavings that a carpenter friend gave me and of course that has been a great temporary fix, but now I am looking ahead and trying to avoid buying anything for mud abatement in the run. Does anyone have any reason why I can't take the maple leaves in my yard, crunch them up a little bit, and use that in the run? It seems like a genius way to get rid of the leaves in my yard. Am I nuts?

 

[Sally PB]

First, ask yourself why you have mud in the run. I'm assuming you don't have a roof over it.

Leaves could help, but wood chips are usually better. You need something that is somewhat absorbant.

 

[rosemarythyme]

From my own experience leaves and nothing but will just add to a mud issue. As they break down they mat and can get slimy too, which can worsen any drainage issue because rain/snow melt can't easily penetrate and drain down.

I have about 4" of leaves in my run right now, but under that is a new layer of chunky wood chips (I don't pay for chips, tree services here are happy to drop off as much as we want). As the leaves break down the bits get churned into the chips, which continue to provide aeration and drainage to prevent it from turning into a muddy sludge and reduce the matting problem.

 

[Sally PB]

Ah, I get it. Yes, free is good. And the chickens will LOVE scratching through the leaves.

You could look online to see if there are any arborists who need to get rid of wood chips. There are some places to get them just for picking them up, and some places will bring them, again, just to be rid of them. One caveat: you may need to take delivery of a BIG pile of chips.

Another question: is all the water coming from above, ie, rain? If you have any drainage issues, or have water flowing into the run, addressing that would help. If you need ideas/help with that, post some pictures of your setup.

 

[Sally PB]

They're really nice quality and much fluffier than store bought ones.

Steer clear of store bought chips or mulch, IMO. They have often been treated with chemicals or dyed. Not to mention the cost.

 

[aart]

I always bought mine from TSC before and they were pretty rough and coarse.

This is coarse, and best for chicken runs.

and yes, cedar is toxic.

Not all cedar is 'toxic'.
The aromatic kind of cedar shavings are not good for an enclosed area(coop) with chickens,
they can be fine in a run in moderate amounts.

 

[NatJ]

Does anyone have any reason why I can't take the maple leaves in my yard, crunch them up a little bit, and use that in the run? It seems like a genius way to get rid of the leaves in my yard. Am I nuts?

Maple leaves are fine for chickens.

No need to crunch them up. It is fine to add them whole or in any size pieces. Scratching chickens will tend to break the leaves into smaller pieces over time.

 

[aart]

From my own experience leaves and nothing but will just add to a mud issue. As they break down they mat and can get slimy too, which can worsen any drainage issue because rain/snow melt can't easily penetrate and drain down.

I have about 4" of leaves in my run right now, but under that is a new layer of chunky wood chips (I don't pay for chips, tree services here are happy to drop off as much as we want). As the leaves break down the bits get churned into the chips, which continue to provide aeration and drainage to prevent it from turning into a muddy sledge and reduce the matting problem.

Ditto Dat^^^!!

 

[MGG]

We have a cabinet shop by us, and they let me take all of the wood chips I want. They all go into one of those big metal storage containers and I just collect them whenever I need some. They're really nice quality and much fluffier than store bought ones. I just have to get them in the evening when no one is working. If you have a cabinet shop or something near you it might be worth calling and asking what they do with all of their wood chips.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Cedar and Walnut wood chips toxic to Chickens?

Not all cedar is 'toxic'.
The aromatic kind of cedar shavings are not good for an enclosed area(coop) with chickens,
they can be fine in a run in moderate amounts.

Black Walnut is specifically bad for horses and... sheep (I don't recall exactly)? It causes hoof problems. We don't have any walnut trees but as a precaution I'd avoid using it for chickens.

With cedar, there's different types of cedar so depending on what's available to you it may be fine to use. I have Western cedar chips in my chip mix (it would be literally impossible to get wood chips around here without cedar mixed in, as it's simply part of the environment) and I use aged chips in both coop and run. Little to no cedar aroma at all. I feel very comfortable about using it in my set up. Western cedar is lower aroma than Eastern red cedar (which is more aromatic and the type of cedar associated with hope chests and insect repellents).

I would probably avoid using cedar shavings (the increased surface area allows for more offgassing), or fresh cedar (well, fresh anything really... pine sap is awful!), or cedar in closed-in environments (i.e. indoor brooder, coop lacking in ventilation), especially if it's an aromatic variety of cedar. My coop is well over recommended ventilation plus has a high ceiling for added air volume.

Many coop builds have cedar and I don't think people ever consider that. My current coop has cedar trim, my old one (which is now a chick brooder) is 100% cedar.

Obviously if you're not comfortable with it, don't use it, but I've been mixing in cedar for the last several years and there's been no sign of respiratory issues in my flock.