Bark chips

[Baker1181]

Anyone have experience using just bark chips instead of wood chips? How’d you like it? Think it would be a good alternative?

Right now I use pellets on both ends of the run, the enclosed/covered side has pellets and straw and the open rained on side has just pellets although it gets straw kicked over. I’d like to try these. Any thoughts? I’d probably keep a thin layer of which is now sawdust just because i haven’t had any kind of mud issue since using them.

 

[cavemanrich]

I see no problem using bark chips. Advantage,,,,, is, the bark chips do not have sharp edges. They are soft, so edges do round out.
My concern would be price. Bark chips around my area, are somewhat expensive, compared to other medium. People use them for landscape decor.

Now to the pellets. Do they fall apart when they get wet???? I use wood pellets in my Kitty Litter Box. I prefer that to the dusty clay litter, for cats. Of course there are other higher priced Cat Litter options. My cats are not indoors, so not interested in the high cost options.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[gtaus]

Anyone have experience using just bark chips instead of wood chips? How’d you like it? Think it would be a good alternative?

I think bark chips would work fine in a chicken run. However, I can get free wood chips by the trailer full at our local county landfill. I would have to buy bark chips at a big box store. From a cost point of view, free wood chips win that contest.

After my chickens ripped up all the grass in the chicken run, I put in a bunch of wood chips to prevent the run from getting all muddy. Over a short period of time, I just converted my entire chicken run into a chicken run composting system. I dump all my grass clippings, leaves, weeds, and just about anything else organic into the chicken run. The chickens mix it all up as they scratch and peck for tasty bugs and juicy worms to eat. I now have more ready to use black gold compost than I can use in my gardens.

If you are thinking about alternatives, I would suggest making the chicken run into a composting system - if you have gardens where you want to use all that compost you will make. Well, it works for me.

 

[woodworm]

I've had chips in the run for just over 3 years and they have been great. I've rarely / never have to do any cleaning and don't have any problems with smell, etc. I did put down a few inches of them and I have a roof over my run which probably helps.

I do have to rake them flat occasionally when they've been kicking it all over.

 

[aart]

Anyone have experience using just bark chips instead of wood chips?

I have, they will work fine but won't last as long as coarse wood chippings from a tree trimmer.

 

[Baker1181]

Thanks for the input everyone l, I’m going to give them a try as they’re cheaper than the pellets. Hopefully a little more clean.

 

[Sefirothe]

I have pine bark nuggets in my small isolation pen. It started life as the chick’s grow out pen while we finished their permanent coop.

The bark nuggets work well and seem to be pretty long lasting. I needed something I could get ahold of quickly and finding undyed regular mulch around here is impossible.

I have mixed in plain wood chips from some oaks we had cut down on our property recently. I asked the tree guys to leave the chips behind. They were happy to do so and I have a pile that will last a long long long time.

 

[Baker1181]

Nice, as much as I love the pellets and the idea of them because they did do a lot of damage control with some mud, but in terms of the spots where they don’t dig or don’t get to for a while, I’m just scared bacteria and mold will grow so that’s why I want to transition into something else. And definitely odor control. I have a lot of work ahead of me next week while I’m on vacation to get it all out of there. I’m gonna keep the pellets in my dry area of the run though because it works well undercover.