Glad I just revisited this post. The thick bark mulch has been just ok, & I was thinking about switching again...but to what? Shavings are not a good idea outside, I see what little bit my chickens can kick out through their little door, & just that little bit gets nasty when it rains...creates a mix of mud, poo & shavings all stuck on their stepout, that I have to scrape off. Why it's so much nastier than indoor poop under perches is a mystery...perhaps the flies it draws? I was missing the grass sod, but yeah talk about maintenance & my sore back, it only lasts til July/Aug heatwave. Sand did not work well here, I kept adding buying more & it would just disappear into mud. I guess I will level out the moon craters they dug & add more large bark mulch again. Whatever we decided to do, there is some kind of maintenance when there are enclosed pens. Chickens dig, scratch, peck & poop, it's what they do, all day, every day. It is what it is.
