Pine Shaving

[HeatherKellyB]

Also, any type of wood that I need to avoid?

My apologies for the numerous questions. I wasn't ever an outdoor type person until we started keeping chickens. I've got a lot of learning to catch up on

 

[David61]

Most trimmers have to pay to dump them...and are more than happy to have a 'free' place. Around here you got to cut them off or you'll end up with a mountain range of them.

The stuff he sells is 7+ years old. Great for flower beds. I use a mix of the old black broken down and year old chips. The new chips have too much sap. The old black stuff is almost top soil.

 

[rosemarythyme]

is there anything special that I will need to do before spreading them in the run? Any treatments needed since I probably won't have any idea where they'll be from? Then is it best if I shovel out all of the sand and then spread wood chips or just spread them right over the top of the sand, chopped alfalfa, and pine straw?

Ideally you'd want to age them out first. If that's not possible, use minimal amounts at first so things dry out as much as possible and slowly build up layers over time. Not sure how much sand you have in place but no reason you can't just put the chips over on top of the mix of items you have listed there.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree, just add over what you have. It's best to avoid black walnut, at least in quantity. A bit spread through the whole pile should be okay. Ask about the tree types that are likely in their current mix. Here I've never had a problem with chips from the city yard, or tree trimmers trucks, but do ask. Some plants you would want to avoid in quantity.
Mary

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thank you all for the information. Hopefully I will be able to find something today, as it's supposed to be wet all week

 

[aart]

Thank you! We do have a location for the county folks to dump their yard waste. I'll try contacting them tomorrow. If I'm lucky enough to obtain some, is there anything special that I will need to do before spreading them in the run? Any treatments needed since I probably won't have any idea where they'll be from? Then is it best if I shovel out all of the sand and then spread wood chips or just spread them right over the top of the sand, chopped alfalfa, and pine straw?

I'd just spread them over top.
Fresh chippings, especially when done with lots of green leaves in them, can create mold blooms, so a thin layer added to run at a time every few days or so is a safer way to go.

 

[aart]

The stuff he sells is 7+ years old. Great for flower beds. I use a mix of the old black broken down and year old chips. The new chips have too much sap. The old black stuff is almost top soil.

That's a whole other ballgame from getting chips for chicken runs.
He must have a huge storage space to process chips to soil over 7 years.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

That's a whole other ballgame from getting chips for chicken runs.
He must have a huge storage space to process chips to soil over 7 years.

This is what I'm told you get from the local yard debris landfill. I think I'll still call them myself and ask about the freshly cut chips or at least chips from the past 6 to 12 months. I was also told that the phone companies chip what they cut at the same location but I just can't imagine this is something allowed everywhere. Im going to contact a few places as soon as I finish up with work.

 

[aart]

I was also told that the phone companies chip what they cut at the same location

Yes, I've seen this....it's crazy the machine they use to cut down and chop up trees right where they fell.

 

[FortCluck]

We put out piles of pine shavings and piles of leaves and let the chickens do all the work. They spread every pile perfectly