Muddy run

[3KillerBs]

I looked up pine shavings and found two Answers. One was that they are used for chickens but can be harmful, and another that they are completely safe. I'm only going to put them outside , but not sure what to do. I did see someone reccomended pine. Does anyone have pine and had problems or have they been healthy? Sorry for seeming like I don't believe you, I do. I just want to be absolutely positive that pine shavings are fine for our birds

Many people use pine shavings in their coop -- including commercial producers. It's a long-standing practice that has raised millions upon millions of perfectly-healthy chickens.

The people claiming that pine shavings aren't safe usually have something else they're trying to sell you.

 

[Bejep714]

Okay thank you

 

[aart]

Can you post some pics of your run?
Is there standing water or ......?

Big coarse wood chippings from a tree trimmer work best.
Can be easy to get but need a space to store a big pile.

More pics here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/albums/runs.7427859/

Oh, and... Welcome to BYC! @Bejep714
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Mike L]

Our coop is placed on the bottom of a small hill. It isn't the best spot for a coop and run but it was the only place we had for it. Over the year it has gotten beaten down to dirt and turned into mud. Its a big run so I'm not sure if I can cover it all with wood chips, but I was thinking maybe a few wood chips in the wettest spots. What wood chips would anyone recommend?

Just a tip where to get wood chips... ya know those guys that shred trees. Sometimes they can be talked into dumping a load for cheap if not free just so they can be rid of the stuff Just be sure what it is they have chopped up so you don’t get the wrong mulch!

 

[Mike L]

In addition to a generous pile of wood chips, you probably need to dig some diversion ditches to channel the runoff from the hill around the coop and into lower ground.

I agree. Some minor grading or digging a ditch or two can be a huge help.

 

[MissE]

A 2 foot wide, 2 foot deep trench filled with crushed rock will help with runoff. If possible, make it a few feet longer than your run. Also, some native ground cover between the hill and the trench will help stop runoff.

 

[Bejep714]

We know some people who cut up trees for a living. They only problem is that we would have to wait for them to cut down a pine tree. Do you know any specific stores that have them? I looked up some but couldn't find much. We do have local places like a mulch business. Is mulch good for chickens as well or not?

 

[Mike L]

We know some people who cut up trees for a living. They only problem is that we would have to wait for them to cut down a pine tree. Do you know any specific stores that have them? I looked up some but couldn't find much. We do have local places like a mulch business. Is mulch good for chickens as well or not?

As long as it isn’t cedar I think most any other wood chips would work ok. The guys don’t like running any trash thru the machine so it’s generally clean. We sell pine shavings all the time to chicken people where I work. The mini flake stuff my girls will eat so I won’t use that. There’s bagged medium flake pine bedding that runs about 4.70 a bag which takes two bags to give two inches if that in my 12x20 run. I use a bale of straw once in a while with shavings. Plan is to scoop some to the garden very soon

 

[Stephanie8806]

We know some people who cut up trees for a living. They only problem is that we would have to wait for them to cut down a pine tree. Do you know any specific stores that have them? I looked up some but couldn't find much. We do have local places like a mulch business. Is mulch good for chickens as well or not?

Look up landscaping companies or rock/gravel companies in your area. They generally carry wood chips as well, as many people and companies use them decoratively in landscaping. Ask for larger chips, 2” and up. They can also usually tell you the type of wood it is, as most consumers care about the color, and there are some plants that don’t grow as well in certain types of wood... mushrooms, for instance, don’t grow as well around cedar trees. Good if you don’t want mushrooms popping up, bad if you’re trying to cultivate. Plus, ordering by the yard is FAR cheaper than buying bagged material.

As for your arborist friends, as long as they aren’t living or cutting down cedar, it’s a pretty safe bet that the chips are fine. Do you have trees on your property that need to be chipped? You could hire them and it’d be two birds one stone

 

[rosemarythyme]

We know some people who cut up trees for a living. They only problem is that we would have to wait for them to cut down a pine tree. Do you know any specific stores that have them? I looked up some but couldn't find much. We do have local places like a mulch business. Is mulch good for chickens as well or not?

If you have room to store a pile, it's much more cost effective to talk to a tree cutting service instead of a landscape place or worse, a big box store. I don't expect to pay anything for a tree company to come dump a load, because it's saving them money (they have to pay to send it to the landfill otherwise) - at most they'd charge me for gas.

Some mulch might be ok, but it's generally smaller than optimal and some is dyed or treated. You want a product that's simply wood, chipped, in different sized chunks.