Opinions on Mulch in the run

[Annalyse]

The run has dirt and I know they live the dirt. They dustbathe everywhere but they dig near the edge of the fence and make holes that fall on the outside as well which can make good spots for predators I also fill them in at night but dirt isn’t that Sturdy and the holes tend to fall. I was thinking about putting mulch in the run just to even out the uneven dirt. What kind of mulch do I use?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Pretty much anything is fine as long as it's not dyed or treated with other chemicals.

To prevent them digging holes against the fence line, you can also put a few obstacles along the fence to discourage them digging so close. I use branches, bricks, and rocks.

 

[Acre4Me]

As noted by @rosemarythyme - put obstacles out and around the edge.

In our run, we placed 12x12 pavers along the whole backside of our barn bc the birds kept digging in as their run is there. For the front of the run, we used all kinds of long boards that were scraps to keep them away from the fence line.

 

[3KillerBs]

Any undyed mulch is fine.

If you can get wood chips free from a tree trimming service that's even better -- though you need to have room to store the truckload-sized pile.

Some towns have a place where people can get the chips from their tree crew's pile free or at a modest cost.

 

[Callender Girl]

Although wet straw is nasty, we are in a very long drought here, so I have been putting straw in my dirt runs. The chickens love to scratch through it to find tasty things.

 

[WIchickMama]

I also so use mulch, no tree service or free in our community so I buy it bagged from a local nursery. I buy cypress pet/children friendly and it isnt overly expensive. 5 bags gave my run a nice base and was $5/bag. I then add dried leaves, grasses and other materials throughout the year. It breaks down nicely and I dig some out each spring for my compost pile and some garden areas and then add more mulch. I only add new once a year.

I also have logs along run fence to keep them from digging out.

 

[aart]

The run has dirt and I know they live the dirt. They dustbathe everywhere but they dig near the edge of the fence and make holes that fall on the outside as well which can make good spots for predators I also fill them in at night but dirt isn’t that Sturdy and the holes tend to fall. I was thinking about putting mulch in the run just to even out the uneven dirt. What kind of mulch do I use?

Do you have an anti-dig apron around the outside of run?
No kind of mulch will keep the chicken from digging along the inside walls of run.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/excavation-by-birds-a-word-of-warning.1086535/

 

[Happy hen lover]

Pretty much anything is fine as long as it's not dyed or treated with other chemicals.

To prevent them digging holes against the fence line, you can also put a few obstacles along the fence to discourage them digging so close. I use branches, bricks, and rocks.

View attachment 3236146

I use 4x4 scrap lumber on mine or whatever is free like that , broken pavers etc.

 

[Happy hen lover]

In run I use large pine shavings and dried leaves grass I DID NOT care for straw as it turned soil to a brick layer.

 

[Annalyse]

Is pine bark okay for chickens? We got it and just put one bag in the corner.