Foiled by yellow/white mold??

[MissGreenJeans]

I don't know what kind of mold that is but I know the sun will help dry it out and is good at killing things.

Maybe use a disposable dish or scoop like an old cool whip tub to bag up that grossness and trash it. That could speed things along.

I am curious what the dirt people will have to say.

I’ll report back on what the dirt people tell me—and hope that (as vile as it sounds) it is indeed the slime mold. Based on why you found and some other sites, it sounds more or less harmless. I’ll carefully scoop it out anyway or wait until the sun dries it out, but is there any reason to believe using the dirt (after scooping/drying) could hurt my chickens?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I’ll report back on what the dirt people tell me—and hope that (as vile as it sounds) it is indeed the slime mold. Based on why you found and some other sites, it sounds more or less harmless. I’ll carefully scoop it out anyway or wait until the sun dries it out, but is there any reason to believe using the dirt (after scooping/drying) could hurt my chickens?

I am not sure.....I don't THINK it will harm them but I also don't KNOW it won't.

Once the mold is positively identified research on how to neutralize it.

If it's indeed dog vomit slime mold once dry the dirt should be ok. I would still feel compelled to remove as much as I could and spread dirt out in thin batches on a tarp to sun sterilize.

 

[MissGreenJeans]

I am not sure.....I don't THINK it will harm them but I also don't KNOW it won't.

Once the mold is positively identified research on how to neutralize it.

If it's indeed dog vomit slime mold once dry the dirt should be ok. I would still feel compelled to remove as much as I could and spread dirt out in thin batches on a tarp to sun sterilize.

I will definitely feel compelled. Thanks again!

 

[aart]

I would still feel compelled to remove as much as I could and spread dirt out in thin batches on a tarp to sun sterilize.

That's what I'd do too.
Molds are everywhere, you just provided the perfect conditions(damp and covered) for it to grow.

 

[MissGreenJeans]

I’ll report back on what the dirt people tell me—and hope that (as vile as it sounds) it is indeed the slime mold. Based on why you found and some other sites, it sounds more or less harmless. I’ll carefully scoop it out anyway or wait until the sun dries it out, but is there any reason to believe using the dirt (after scooping/drying) could hurt my chickens?

Reporting back on the landscaping company’s response. They said they goofed—that when their staff told me that it was just screened topsoil, that was wrong. Apparently there’s some “organic matter” added. They couldn’t specify what kind. They also had no further advice. In the meantime, now that it’s uncovered, the mold has dried up and gone. Not sure what to do at this point…. It’s 3 cubic yards of dirt and I hate to waste it, but I’m not sure what the “organic matter” was, and I don’t have any idea if the mold would return.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think as long as it is not covered and damp like it was under the tarp it should not mold up again.

The chickens will keep it stirred so the sun will hit it all as they work it over.

I cannot say what is the best but I can say what I would do if it were me having to make the decision.

I would use it in raised garden boxes or the garden itself if not raised and get new dirt from a different source for the chicken run.

What a giant pain in the rear to deal with.

 

[aart]

I think as long as it is not covered and damp like it was under the tarp it should not mold up again.

Ditto Dat....I would use it.

 

[Matejka]

Makes me wonder.
Mold is serious
HOWEVER
if you put a new coop on level ground (mine) dirt floor covered run and coop.
What's in the dirt it's sitting on?
I would let the sun dry it out, and use it.
We do not live in a sterile environment.
Chickens aren't sterile.
Mold needs specific conditions to grow. Wet humid shady (or covered).
We strive to provide the opposite conditions for our chickens. Dry DRY well ventilated.
So use the dirt.
MY 2 cents worth.

 

[MissGreenJeans]

Thanks for the much-needed advice, everyone!!

 

[ChickenAJ]

I have a very similar issue of some white mold that grows in a pile of some leftover top soil near the chicken run. I think it could be spreading, but thats because I never noticed it before. The coop/run is mostly shaded, which is different from the original post. Is there something i can spray onto the mold nearby so it wont spread into the run? Or perhaps to spray IN the run as a preventative measure?

Neem oil? Tee tree oil? Lime? What is the safest natural/organic product that wont harm the young chickens when we put them in their chicken run in a few weeks?