Run flooring advice please

[Emily26]

Best way to find out: try it. Maybe it'll work in your set up, maybe it won't. Worst case scenario you shovel it out and try something else.

I would still have wood chips as the base material but if rain/water in the run isn't a huge issue, then you may not be as reliant on chips to provide drainage.

I'd be tempted to say rain wouldn't be too much of a problem but I'm sure if I say it we'll have a torrential downpour for a month I think if I can locate some free Woodchips they sound like a good bet

 

[Sally PB]

I think if I can locate some free Woodchips they sound like a good bet

I can't recall if someone already mentioned this...

A good source for wood chips is tree trimming services. If they're in your neighborhood, they might be willing to drop them off at your home to avoid having to pay to dump them.

The good thing is, they're free! The bad thing is, they will need a place to dump them. And it may be a LOT of chips, all at once. And they might just want to dump them in your driveway and leave.

Where I live, I can't get anyone to do that. I saw someone trimming a couple miles from my house, stopped, and asked. The guy actually laughed and said he could give away the chips four times over, they had so many requests, and usually the person who owned the house wanted them, so they didn't have to take them anywhere.

I ended up getting a chipper to make my own.

 

[gtaus]

IMO, a mixture of various materials and textures is better than one material alone.

I agree. But then again I turned my chicken run into a composting system. I throw just about anything organic into the run and the litter builds up as compost. If I have an over abundance on any one type of material, I try to lay it down in layers with something else to break it up. It works for me and the chickens love it.

 

[gtaus]

I ended up getting a chipper to make my own.

I have both a larger, expensive gas chipper and a smaller electric chipper. The electric chipper is more convenient for small branches that fall down in the yard, or for chipping up trimmings from trees. But it takes a long time to chip up wood compared to the gas chipper. However, I still prefer to hook up the trailer and go out to the county landfill to get a load of free wood chips. It takes me about 20 minutes to load out my trailer, but it would take days of chipping at home, even with the gas chipper, to get that same amount.

 

[Sally PB]

but it would take days of chipping at home, even with the gas chipper, to get that same amount.

Yup. That is so true. The review of the chipper I bought said it reduced brush to 1/20 its original volume. Like that was a selling point, I suppose.

The flip side is, I do have a lot of brush I can chip up. Any time I want more, there is more out there. We have about 10 acres of woods.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Where I live, I can't get anyone to do that. I saw someone trimming a couple miles from my house, stopped, and asked. The guy actually laughed and said he could give away the chips four times over, they had so many requests, and usually the person who owned the house wanted them, so they didn't have to take them anywhere.

Meanwhile in my area, trucks drive around with "FREE CHIPS" stickers on the back, and every time I talk to the tree guy he wants to know if I need more.

 

[Sally PB]

What, no jealous face emoji!?

 

[gtaus]

Meanwhile in my area, trucks drive around with "FREE CHIPS" stickers on the back, and every time I talk to the tree guy he wants to know if I need more.

Only wish....

 

[gtaus]

Yup. That is so true. The review of the chipper I bought said it reduced brush to 1/20 its original volume. Like that was a selling point, I suppose.

The flip side is, I do have a lot of brush I can chip up. Any time I want more, there is more out there. We have about 10 acres of woods.

Yes, a chipper at home is good for cleaning up those branches that fall on the ground. Or if you are trimming trees, then you might also get some good wood for chipping. But it takes me about an hour to chip up enough wood to fill an 18 gallon tote. I estimate, with my electric chipper, it takes me about an hour per 2 cubic foot bag full of wood chips. When the mulch goes on sale at the big box stores, I used to buy them for about $3.00 per bag.

For @Emily26, if you can't find free wood chips, then I hope you have read the pros and cons of buying a wood chipper for home use. Nobody selling these small electric chippers seems to be very honest with how much time it takes to chip up a full bag. If they advertised that, I don't think many people would even bother buying a home chipper. On the other hand, I typically pick up sticks and branches around the yard before I mow, and save those bits to chip up later. When I have a garbage can full of branches, or my dump cart full of branches, then I go out to the garage to chip them up. I wear a pair of headphones and listen to music or radio programs that I enjoy while chipping up the wood. Sometimes I queue up an audiobook. It makes the time go better. Yeah, it takes time to chip up all those branches, but at least you get something useful in the end. Better than just burning all that wood in firepit to get rid of it.

Still, I think OP would be OK just using the sawdust, grass clipping, leaves, and anything else organic for her covered chicken run. Buying a chipper is an investment that might not be worth it to lots of people.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Only wish....

They often get sent to landfill here, so the tree companies are eager to unload it on whoever will take it. Many folks here simply keep whatever gets chipped from their own trees, but with lots of varying sizes that's not possible for everyone.