Received Mulch but it’s Moldy

[Ritakprkns]

I received mulch from an arborist. I was excited to get it for my chicken run. Looking at it, there’s quite a bit of mold in it. Don’t think i should use it. Wanted wood chips. Your thoughts? I keep thinking it’s bad for the girls.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any photos? Do you know how fresh/old it is? Not all mold is harmful... my pile develops quite a bit of it as it sits, but I know it's properly aged and aired out so I feel safe using it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, photos please.

There are a number of kinds of mold and fungus. The black, moldy-smelling one is bad. The white, stringy one that smells like a forest floor is not a problem.

Spreading the pile to air in the sun can fix many mold/fungus issues.

 

[aart]

Pics would be helpful...but just scrape the outer layer off the pile and spread it thinly(1-2") in your run. Repeat once a week or as needed. Wood chippings in the run doesn't have to be very deep to do it's job.

 

[Shadrach]

Here in the UK mulch, nor softwood chip, is recommended for chicken runs for a number of reasons, harmfull mould developing is one of them.
Hardwood chip is what I would be looking for should I want to cover a run.

 

[Ritakprkns]

Hope you can see the mold. We captured the dust or spores that are flying around when shoveling it. I’m new at all this amazing adventure and cherish all your inputs!

 

[Ritakprkns]

Here are the other pics

 

[perkolator]

Pretty normal. I’ve moved many arborists chip drops and all of them get that mycelium growth after like 2-3 days. I try not to breathe it in though. A pitchfork or even better an ensilage fork will make that pile move significantly easier than that digging shovel. Only time a shovel works for me is when you have a hard surface on the ground to scrape against and get a wide snow shovel under the chips. Good luck

 

[Ritakprkns]

Thank you for your help!

 

[3KillerBs]

Here are the other pics

That looks like the white, forest-floor stuff you get in a nicely aged pile.

Wear a mask so you don't breathe the spores and just spread thin layers.