Ideas for Run

[adwil21]

My ladies are 5 weeks and getting ready to go in the coop this weekend. We built a nice run off the coop as they will spend most of their time in there. I work 4 days a week (12 hr days) and i have 3 cats whom I won't trust with free range until the chicks are full grown. The floor is currently dirt with a little grass, what is everyone putting on the floor. I live in upstate NY. I was looking for wood chips but have been unable to find any that aren't cedar and don't have dye.
Also looking for ideas inside the run for entertainment as they will be in there every day, branches, roosts, etc?

 

[David61]

Call a tree service. They chip and should dump for free. Anything to break up line of sight. I use old plastic bins. If they can't see each other they bullying of the picking order is not as bad. They weak can hind and get a break. Less stress more eggs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is it wise to use fresh wood chips? Thought I read that they needed to "age" before using them in a coop/run.

I saw that too, so I was wondering about that. Unless they maybe have a store of them that have been sitting around. I live in a really small town without access to alot of things, unfortunately.

Best to NOT use fresh chips. Ideally you want to age them out a bit... 3 months, 6 months, how much ever you can wait.

Call some local tree service companies and ask what it'll cost for them to drop a load of chips off. In my area many companies will do it completely free. Obviously you will need space to store them, as they can drop several cubic yards at a time.

Do not expect for the tree service company to age them for you. THey will likely arrive with the freshest possible chips, chipped and brought straight over from the last assignment they were at.

 

[David61]

As you'll see I can pick what I want but at lest you will see.
He has a large chipper. It can take 10" logs.
Just the way it works out with a large hard wood tree is the top and canopy leaf limbs get cut and dropped to the ground first. It will be chipped first. When they stop for lunch they will drive back and dump. That is all twigs and leaf. The next load is all the clean big wood chips. If Its not a big tree can be both or all kinds off crud. Here you will seee palm, shrub bush, yard scraps … this old Stuff is 10 years + from the bottom of the wood yard. This is clean hardwood. I kicked the pike so you can see how wet. It sun dries quick on top. This pile is a week old

 

[David61]

This is pine and is wet heavy with turpentine and pine straw.

 

[David61]

You will need to add other things to get the bio mass started but fresh/new chips are a good start.

 

[aart]

Best to NOT use fresh chips. Ideally you want to age them out a bit... 3 months, 6 months, how much ever you can wait.

Yes!
How long to age them is variable.
Depends on how 'wet' they are.
If chipped from live tree branches, especially with leaves, they are going to be very wet.
This can cause a mold 'bloom' that can be toxic.

It's kind of a play it 'by eye' thing...
...adding thin layers of fresh chippings with other dry plant matter can be a good way to go.
Scraping the outer layer off the pile is another good thing to do.
Doesn't take much to get started, just a thin layer an inch deep,
then slowly add more every week or so.

 

[aart]

and it was in the fall so not much leafs on the tree and fairly dry.

Makes a big difference.

 

[David61]

I'm going to go to my friends tree service and take some pictures of what his chips look like. Day old - ten years old

 

[David61]

Hardwood twigs and canopy top of tree.
Next is mix of palm and limb trimmings.
Next a mix of who knows what yard clearing.
Here is the wood yard where logs are moved to the mill to be sawn or split for fire wood. Chips have been put down many feet deep over the years and we dig them for dirt now. The last picture is ten year + bottom of the pile.