Mulch

[Kritterbells]

I'm laying some red mulch and some bags appear to have mold. Will this hurt my chickens? I have turkeys, ducks, dogs and cats too. Is it safe?

 

[Debbie292d]

This is those red wood chips you put around trees and in flower gardens, etc?

Sun kills mold, so you could lay out the chips somewhere to sit in the sun for a few hours first. I'd stir them once or twice too. I'm thinking of like the bed of a pickup truck or laying them on a tarp where the chickens can't get to them.

Then they'd be harmless.

Without doing anything, I think the mold would die anyway, but I'd not want to take a chance of it as it could give a chicken a respiratory infection.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Is it mold or is it fungus?

 

[aart]

I'm laying some red mulch and some bags appear to have mold. Will this hurt my chickens?

@Kritterbells is this for use in the chicken run or your garden beds?

 

[Mrs. K]

I really don't worry about mold...but I live in a very arid environment, and as stated above - sunlight and dryness get rid of it.

So where are you from, what kind of climate do you have might make this a more worriable problem.

 

[Kritterbells]

@Kritterbells is this for use in the chicken run or your garden beds?

I have a little area (10x15) by my walk way up to my porch, I have some plants and the red mulch looks fantastic covering the area. However, my animals free range which worries me a lot. I have heard that much is bad for animals. So yeah a flower bed with no fencing.

 

[Kritterbells]

I really don't worry about mold...but I live in a very arid environment, and as stated above - sunlight and dryness get rid of it.

So where are you from, what kind of climate do you have might make this a more worriable problem.

 

[Kritterbells]

I'm in Michigan. The area isn't full sun, partial. Opening some bags, I see some white substance, which i assume is mold. I don't know. I'm hoping all will be OK. If it's dangerous for my animals, I'll shovel up what I already have laid & take it to the dump. Yea, the dump, i live out in the boonies. So whatcha think?

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm in Michigan. The area isn't full sun, partial. Opening some bags, I see some white substance, which i assume is mold. I don't know. I'm hoping all will be OK. If it's dangerous for my animals, I'll shovel up what I already have laid & take it to the dump. Yea, the dump, i live out in the boonies. So whatcha think?

Those bags of chips would have had to have gotten wet at some point as I know it's not overly humid there. We use the same things, (Wisconsin), and the reason I suggested not putting them where the chickens are as is, is ours need replacing every few months, because of the chickens. They scratch them away so they can dustbathe in the flower beds, they scratch them away from trees and peck bugs, etc.

Do you compost? You could toss the white ones/moldy ones in there.

Vinegar also kills mold. Mix it 1:1 vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray it on the moldy ones and leave it for at least an hour. You could rinse if you wanted to but not necessary.

 

[aart]

I have a little area (10x15) by my walk way up to my porch, I have some plants and the red mulch looks fantastic covering the area. However, my animals free range which worries me a lot. I have heard that much is bad for animals. So yeah a flower bed with no fencing.

I would suspect that the 'mold' is not going to make your pets drop dead...but the chickens will likely ravage any flower bed they can get at.