Question regarding placing the chicken run on burned soil

[IShavedMyLegsForThis]

Hello BYC world! I have trolled this forum for a while as we have considered raising chickens for the eggs. So many great topics and I've had so many questions answered here. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Being a new chicken owner (we have 6, 2 week old babies right now; and some 3 months old soon to come), I have a question regarding where we plan to place our coop run. The only ideal place on our property is directly on an area that used to be where a burn pile was burned each winter. I have raked and shoveled the dirt in that area as best I could but I still see some blackened areas. Since I can't get the run area back to 100%, I'm wondering if scorched soil will be bad for my feathered family. We plan on covering the run in pine shavings, but I know they'll be scratching and digging and I'm worried if peeking at/ eating the soil that has the black ash will be bad for them.

 

[7L Farm]

Shouldn't be a problem. I add wood ash to my run for them to bathe in. Make sure there's no glass are anything that could harm their feet while scratching. You might add some sand over the area before building.

 

[PonderingChick]

If you spend time at a message board such as this without making yourself known that is called lurking. When you troll a message board such as this that is coming on and posting with no interest on the subjects at hand but simply to create discontent and mayhem. On that note, based on your message you were lurking. Lurking is fine...trolling is very bad!

Good luck on your chicken adventures and welcome out of lurkdom!

 

[bryan99705]

My chickens love to dustbathe and scratch in our bonfire pit and seem to be fine so unless your burning hazmat or leaving glass shards and sharp chunks of metal in the ash, you should be just fine.

Don't worry about some of the more highbrowed members, sitting back and watching the posts is just fine no matter what you call it.

 

[PonderingChick]

I am not sure what the remark of "highbrowed members" was all about.....but if I were using a term to describe myself that had a VERY negative definition to it, and I was using it incorrectly, I would be really thankful that someone took the time to help me. That is just being decent as far as I am concerned. I think I was pretty clear that lurking is not bad. Just thought I should repeat that for anyone who missed it the first time.

 

[BoltonChicken]

DO NOT and I repeat, DO NOT build on a burn pile where pressure treated wood has been burned in the past. Large amounts of arsenic are released when pressure treated wood is burned which can be deadly to both chickens and humans. If you are ABSOLUTELY sure that no pressure treated wood has been burned there, then I see no reason for you not to build on that location.

 

[IShavedMyLegsForThis]

Thank you 7LFarm, bryan99705 and BoltonChicken. I know the only thing burned there were leaf piles. Literally nothing eles in the piles. We plan on putting sand down in the run but I knew they'd scratch down. But I'm so happy to hear it won't be a problem! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.