wood ash

[worms7]

When making wood ash can you burn any wood or should you only use
None toxic wood
Cheers

 

[Free Spirit]

You should never use commercial or treated wood. The chemical used in them can be toxic. And while you can use softwoods, hardwood is better.

 

[donrae]

I'm not sure what wood would be toxic? Unless you're talking pressure treated. I wouldn't use that. But anything I'm going to burn in my wood stove, where we live and breathe, is fine for the litter in the coop.

 

[appps]

Yes treated pine, or anything else chemically treated to prevent rot etc should never be burned.

 

[worms7]

When making wood ash can you burn any wood or should you only use
None toxic wood
Cheers

I meant branches of trees

 

[centrarchid]

Natural sources such as branches I di not consider to be a problem. Will resulting ash be used as soil amendment, component of dust bath, or be consumed?

 

[worms7]

Dust bath
Cheers

 

[centrarchid]

For use in a dust bath try to dilute it to about 10% by volume with a silty loam soil (1 part ash to 9 parts soil) and mix thoroughly. Then keep mix air dry. Baths I have made have mix depth of about 6" so birds can really woller around in it. A good set allows birds to get dust down to skin and also prevents dust from being lost from dust bathing area. I like using the metal wash tubs placed in a sunny location near a sun facing wall for bathing areas.

 

[worms7]

I was thinking wood ash & sand mix
Cheers

 

[centrarchid]

I have not tried to use sand. We have a sand box and several types of soil available to flocks of free-range chickens that have choices and they seem to have preference for soil type that approximates silt-loam. Locations also important as is moisture content.