Wood chips and bumblefoot

[Critter721]

I have been reading a lot of these threads about fixing a muddy run. My run still has quite a bit of grass, but there are spots where the mud is starting to take over. For a quick fix, I've put some of the wood pellet brooder bedding on the worst spots, and it seems to help. But for a long term solution, I keep seeing recommendations of wood chips. While I love the idea, I'm concerned that it might lead to bumblefoot. Has anyone tried wood chips in their duck run? What has been your experience? Have you had any problems with bumblefoot?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Teneniel]

I have aged arborist chips in mine, then doing deep bedding on top of that. But I didn’t have any issues when it was just the chips.

 

[Isaac 0]

You know, I wish bedding was just that easy, but it isn't. We all live in so many different climates, I might be able to use wood chips with great success, but someone who lives in a boggy swamp is going to end up with a stink muddy mess. My birds are sparsely concentrated in my run, farmer john down the road has his packed so he has a thick layer of crap over the bedding each morning.

I hope you get my point, everyone is going to praise which bedding works for them, I will say wood chips in the run as worked great for me for many years, but truth is, we all live in different climates, have different setups, have different concentration of birds. There are so many factors that are going to determine whether bedding is going to work right for you.

That's why people are going to respond to this thread with different options on chips. My best advice is to try it and see what works in your setup.

 

[416bigbore]

I agree 100% with Isaac 0 on this one. We have had so much rain this spring and it seems to want to rain every other day here, MUD! MUD! MUD! it has gotten very old to deal with.

Since I had some old indoor/outdoor carpet laying around I been using pieces of that in the really bad areas. The ducks seem to like it because they will lay on it and sun themselves. Easy to clean the duck poo off with a hose and no muddy mess after. Then after it does rain I pull the carpet up the next morning and the ducks go crazy over the worms that are under it. Win ! Win !

I also been broadcasting bird seed in the bald spots, trying to get that to grow to help reduce the muddy mess for when it rains next. That has been working well for us and much cheaper over grass seed and the poultry love nibbling on it. Good Luck.

 

[Critter721]

Thank you for your replies. I guess I'm more concerned about the quality of chips when you get a load from an aborist. Are there sharp pieces that wouldn't be good for their webbies?

In terms of whether the chips might be effective bedding for my situation, here are some details. I live in Ohio where we have mostly clay soil and can have quite a lot of rain. The run is 10x20 with 1/3 covered with tarp and 2/3 open (just covered with chicken wire). I have 4 ducks, with plans to get a couple more next spring.

I put in a request with chipdrop yesterday, so I guess I'll find out lol. I was just hoping to get some input from people who have tried it. I want to try it, but wouldn't do it if it's risky for bumble.

 

[416bigbore]

A wood chipping machine in how it is designed to work will produce sharp pointed pieces and wouldn't be good to use for animals. Saw mills are very different, they use a blade that will produce a much more smoother and safer wood chip pieces to use for bedding etc.

The chipping machines make great chips for using as mulch for landscaping projects.

 

[Critter721]

A wood chipping machine in how it is designed to work will produce sharp pointed pieces and wouldn't be good to use for animals. Saw mills are very different, they use a blade that will produce a much more smoother and safer wood chip pieces to use for bedding etc.

The chipping machines make great chips for using as mulch for landscaping projects.

This is exactly what I'm concerned about, and yet so many people seem to use the aborist chips successfully and highly recommend them as run substrate. So that is what I'm trying to understand with this thread.

 

[Isaac 0]

I'll get a picture of what I have.

 

[416bigbore]

This is exactly what I'm concerned about, and yet so many people seem to use the aborist chips successfully and highly recommend them as run substrate. So that is what I'm trying to understand with this thread.

You will just have to inspect the chips and judge for yourself if it would be safe to use or not? All the wood chipping machines I have been around, produced wood chips I wouldn't want to use. Keep us posted with a pic of what they drop off for you.

 

[Critter721]

You will just have to inspect the chips and judge for yourself if it would be safe to use or not? All the wood chipping machines I have been around, produced wood chips I wouldn't want to use. Keep us posted with a pic of what they drop off for you.

Yep, will do.