Flooring with woodchips?

[mountainchickens]

Hi! Does anyone floor their run with woodchips or similar coarse mulch? Anyone have any pics? Are there any cons to this, or is it a good setup? We are thinking about flooring the run with woodchips. Thank you!

 

[Fishsticks06]

Hi! Does anyone floor their run with woodchips or similar coarse mulch? Anyone have any pics? Are there any cons to this, or is it a good setup? We are thinking about flooring the run with woodchips. Thank you!

Wood chips won’t bother them a bit, we also have wood chips in our coop. Unfortunately it is night in NC, so pictures will be absent. But other than that, wood chips are a fine bedding that can be used in the run.

 

[Squishychicken]

Yup my father runs a tree cutting business so we have access to free woodchips. I floor my runs with it sometime I layer sand and pine straw before woodchips to help drain. I'm in NC as well but could get pics. It just rained here as well so I don't have a good example really everything is wet.

 

[Squishychicken]

I don't see any cons except if your birds don't turn the bedding and it sits it could mold but I have enough birds to turn it that it never does. Make sure it drains good or mild could also grow. But no the pros to this is very present.

-No smell
-Most of the time you can find some for free
-Sorta a deep litter method
-Never really needs fully replaced just added on to as it decomposes
-Bugs and worms like it so birds have a sorce of insects occasionally

 

[gtaus]

I use wood chips as deep litter in the coop and so far, it has worked out great for me. When the chicks destroy the grass in the chicken run, I plan on taking the wood chips from the coop and dumping them in the run so the ground does not get muddy, then refresh the wood chips in the coop. The wood chips in the run will be periodically cleaned up and used as mulch and/or thrown into the compost bin by the garden. I can get wood chips for free at the county landfill, so it's a no brainer for me.

There are lots of YouTube videos of people using woodchips in their coops and runs. If you need visuals, I would check there. Wood chips make excellent compost and mulch. Lots of videos about that subject on YouTube.

This year I switched to a deep litter system in my brooder. I put about 2" of wood chips in the brooder and topped it off with pine shavings (which I had left over from previous years). The only cleaning I had to do for eight weeks was to occasionally fluff up the litter and add more chips and/or shavings. At the end of 8 weeks when I move the chicks to their coop, the brooder deep litter was still basically dry and could have been used longer. It was about 6 inches deep by then. Most of the time all you could smell was wood chips. It really worked out great for me.

As far as any cons with using woodchips, there are certain woods I hear that are not good for the chicks such as cedar, because of its aroma. But I don't think that would ever be an issue outside in a run. That applies mostly to baby chicks in a closed brooder environment.

 

[gtaus]

I don't see any cons except if your birds don't turn the bedding and it sits it could mold but I have enough birds to turn it that it never does...

To encourage the birds to turn the woodchips, I have seen some people throw out scratch into the woodchips. No matter what method you decide on, you will still have to monitor it for the health of your birds and maintain it appropriately.

 

[Echilde]

So I always read about people using bedding in the coops and now I have a question, or two lol.
First, I tried sand once and it just ended up with little worms in it, so what's up with that?
Second, I use bedding, usually pine, in the winter but in the summer I don't use anything. They just have the floor and I clean it out every week. So question being, is there a reason that I should use it in the summer?

 

[gtaus]

First, I tried sand once and it just ended up with little worms in it, so what's up with that?

I don't use sand, and never have. From what I hear, it works great for some people but you have to constantly clean it out, like a cat litter box needs to be cleaned daily.

Second, I use bedding, usually pine, in the winter but in the summer I don't use anything. They just have the floor and I clean it out every week. So question being, is there a reason that I should use it in the summer?

I'm currently using woodchips in a deep litter system. If it works out for me, I should only have to clean out the coop once or twice a year, not every week. I'd say that was a good reason to use the deep litter bedding in the summer.

 

[Echilde]

I'm currently using woodchips in a deep litter system. If it works out for me, I should only have to clean out the coop once or twice a year, not every week. I'd say that was a good reason to use the deep litter bedding.


But wouldn't that hold more heat inside? That's why I don't use anything in the summer. It's

elevated, 12x12.

 

[gtaus]

But wouldn't that [deep litter woodchips in the coop] hold more heat inside? That's why I don't use anything in the summer...

I live in northern Minnesota and so far, this summer, I have not seen any daytime temp above 85F. It's not hot inside the coop, but I have good ventilation. In fact, during the hottest time of the day, the chicks go back into the coop to cool off. My coop is 6X12 but has a 8 1/2 foot tall roof. I think that helps too.