Fresh Wood Chips

[chickenman111]

are fresh wood chips safe to use in my chicken run. I think it is cedar and bradford pear wood chips. Or do I need to dry it first. I'm asking because my chicken run is very muddy and I'm trying to find a way to fix it.

Thanks

 

[chickenman111]

Also I've heard you can use sand for a chicken run. any difference in types or does it not matter.

thanks again

 

[chfite]

Sand is sand, in the end. It will go a long way in helping resolve the muddiness of your run. Water will drain into the sand, leaving the chickens with a relatively dry place to walk and stand. If the surface of the sand is damp, it will not bother the chickens. I use a layer about 6 inches deep in my run.

If you wanted to use wood chips, adding them after you resolved the mud problem with sand would be better. The chickens will turn them over and over into the sand allowing them to decompose over time. Sand, moisture, chicken poop, and wood chips will eventually make some pretty potent compost.

Chris

 

[chickenman111]

Thanks I'll ge

 

[chickenman111]

Thanks I'll ge

 

[chickenman111]

sorry major computer problems. meant to say Thanks I'll start getting some sand. not sure what happened when I started typing it started entering the same thing over and over. sorry

 

[emilysaurus]

If you wanted to use wood chips, adding them after you resolved the mud problem with sand would be better. The chickens will turn them over and over into the sand allowing them to decompose over time. Sand, moisture, chicken poop, and wood chips will eventually make some pretty potent compost.

I disagree with this. If you add sand to an already muddy run, you'll be throwing away your money and make more work for yourself in the end. I have wood chips in half my garden where the chickens love to scratch (they are entertained by the bugs and scratch hiding under woodchips and usually leave the garden alone) and it never gets muddy. I use sand in my run, which works pretty well too.

Adding woodchips with the sand so they will "decompose over time" doesn't sound like a good plan to me. Maybe it's how my run is set up, but I don't want to build up a layer of soil under the sand - the whole point is to have sand! It would also make the sand really hard to rake out for cleaning.

My advice is to do what works for you. Woodchips can usually be found for free while I have to buy sand.