Wood Chips and Termites in Illinois?

[Debbie292d]

I wondered this…termites are subterranean, right? My posts are set in concrete but there is dirt at the bottom. I didn’t know if the chickens works dig that deep. This is my first chicken experience

I've not had termites, but we've got friends nearby who struggled with them. I do not know the type, but we're just north of you, so could be the same type, and yes, they'll burrow into the wood and chickens can't get them. It'd be nice if they could though as then this would be simple.

 

[BlueDawnRising]

Not true. After they grow up, they become territorial for who is going to be the boss of who, and who gets what hens. We have 15 of them, many who are siblings, raised with love, and now, you'd never know it.

Thank you for adding your experience!

 

[BlueDawnRising]

I've not had termites, but we've got friends nearby who struggled with them. I do not know the type, but we're just north of you, so could be the same type, and yes, they'll burrow into the wood and chickens can't get them. It'd be nice if they could though as then this would be simple.

This is my worry with adding wood chips to my run. Thank you for adding this!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I was hoping to put them in the run. We have had so much rain and it is quite muddy so I was hoping to put a thick layer in the run to help with moisture. I have pine shavings in the coop.

I have wood chips in the form of pine bark nuggets in our run, along with pine straw and some pine shavings. It's about six inches deep at this point and growing - the deep litter method with bare soil at the base. Our pullets love it, endlessly scratching and digging, rearranging all the contents in the process and letting their poop drop below the surface to compost. No smell at all, very soft, and it looks (and feels) like a forest floor.

 

[BlueDawnRising]

I have wood chips in the form of pine bark nuggets in our run, along with pine straw and some pine shavings. It's about six inches deep at this point and growing - the deep litter method with bare soil at the base. Our pullets love it, endlessly scratching and digging, rearranging all the contents in the process and letting their poop drop below the surface to compost. No smell at all, very soft, and it looks (and feels) like a forest floor.

This is my long term goal but wondered about starting with a layer of wood chips directly on top of the mud from the rains. I think I will skip it though and opt for shavings and maybe horse pellets to quickly dry it this time. Forest floor is my goal! Thanks for your response!

 

[Debbie292d]

We use horse bedding pellets in our coop. Don't have a run to speak of as they free range. The coop we clean once a year, in the spring, when we use a grain scoop and shovel out all the mostly sawdust. We put that around our trees, in flower beds to fertilize and keep weeds down, in the compost bins, and roto tiller some into the garden.

In the brooders, we just started using them on baby chicks about a year ago. For the first couple of days, I lay paper towels on top of the pellets in one section, so they can run off and get used to walking on pellets. Those I stir myself as their little feet don't move them around like the chickens do in the coop.