Update -- I ended up coming up with a system that mostly worked. It also helps setup a garden
Step 1. Pheasants. I ended up going with pheasants. when they are chics we put down cardboard on top of our woodchip pile then cardboard on top of that so the chics don't eat woodchips when covering a field to late convert to a large garden. we put about 40 chics but we can do more we think. since the pheasants get donated to a food shelter for a fancy benefit dinner they do to raise money. we have been thinking about trying to increase our chics we start with.
step 2.they don't move that's their home we add more woodchips overtime and mix it a bit every now and then but basically. we leave em the hell alone as much as we can just let them have space in the moveable pin. with panels and netting. They grow just fine.
step 3, make sure the pen area is large add big logs or things they can go vertical on and play on.
this method works for chickens, (not as good for ducks if you don't mix the substrate and manage the pool properly), works for pheasants, quail, and a great way to prep a new garden area if you live in the country. or on a larger plot of land. IE if you wanted to net your whole backyard. then once every 3 or 4 years transfer the worked woodchips as a thick mulch compost to your front yard garden
At the end, you can treat it like hugelkultur / deep woodchip growing and grow in it. the first crop should be bean crop and a squash crop.
thinking smart. because when we tried this we weren't.
We did it the first year worked out but the woodchips weren't deep enough. our one big mistake. there's really no to deep woodchips because it's sitting for most of the year. you can keep it in an area for two or three years without problems and just keep adding more woodchips and stir it. only need the cardboard when dealing with chicks.
