Only if you're really lucky to be in the right area at the right time.......folks have waited months.
It's a hit or miss, yes, but it's there. Landscapers and DPWs are another good option. I just walked past a tree being chewed up this morning on my way to work and was itching to stop and ask the contractors if they could dump the chips in my yard
but I was in a rush. Going to ask the DPW, too - I've asked them about other things like that, like branches and logs, and they've said sure, as long as you haul it away yourself. The point is... If you can find a way, it can be very cheap or even free, unlike other materials.
We dug down when we put up our run and put in about 6 inches of gravel (solves water issues) then several inches of builder sand that we had delivered. NO dirt or chips, sand only. It's been 4 years. We clean the run every day by just scooping poop out into a bucket with a kitty litter scoop (metal) and mini metal rake, and it's been great. No smell, no hassle. We can add 5 gal. buckets of sand now and then. In May I do a huge coop/run clean with Kennel Wash and we take out a lot of the sand. (We always have a tarp covered pile of new sand). We then just add some new sand. This has really worked well for us.Hi everyone -
I'm looking to replace the bottom in my chicken run. One of my chickens has swallowed metal screw / nail and a ringbarnie!) despite me doing the magnetic sweeper, and I found a bunch more from a previous house owner's construction projects recently. Given the amount of material found, I also suspect the soil itself has high quantities of lead / heavy metals, so I'm exploring new options for the run.
My plan currently is to dig up the bottom of the run and clear out much of the bottom (currently just dirt / loamy soil), approx 6 inches or so. Then I am hoping to put a heavy duty tarp on top and cover with a 6-10" layer of 20-20-60 mix of concrete sand, top soil bought in bags, and pine chips from a local mill. The run is covered by our patio (wood) - some rain can trickle through, but really not that much that it becomes a full mudfest.
Does anyone have experience with replacing the run bottom like this? Would you recommend a different ratio of materials? I'm concerned about potentially water molding in the pine chips, especially with the tarp bottom, but it's the cheaper of the other options from what I've gotten quotes for, and the chickens seem to like other mulch we have around the yard currently. I could also put down a layer of gravel instead of the tarp, but think chickens may be able to scratch that up. Also, should I poke some holes in the tarp so any water drains? Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thank you.
Shredded leaves are free and does the same job. We have 1/4 inch hardware cloth 3 ft down, up the sides, and across the top of our run. ( run is only 12' x 12', as girls get to free range half the day) Have never had a predator get in, not even a mouse. Started with just a couple inches of dirt in there, after years of tossing in grass clippings, shredded leaves, etc soil level is probably 8-10 inches now. And that's with me pulling out all the compost I could possibly use every spring and growing season. My girls are diggers too! They do dig down to hardware cloth occasionally, but no one's ever been hurt by it. I just relevel the soil when they dig out big holes, and yes even with a designated dust bath, they still dig out big holes. Only takes a minute to relevel that soil.
Right, "after years." The idea i was responding to was an immediate removal of soil and replacing it or the immediate addition of wood chips.
Lol, yeah I'd never "buy" wood chips. The crap in bags is usually chipped up pallet wood, then dyed with chemicals that will leach into your soil. Have an arborist deliver a truckload of chips, or buy some from a landscape supplier. Otherwise, just use carbonaceous materials from yard - leaves, grass clippings, etc.
