Wood chips for OUTSIDE the coop

[Soon2BChixMom]

With regards to wood chips, how big can they be? We cut wood for our wood stove and we have a lot of left over pieces mostly bark. I have a whole box that has been dried since last year. How big is too big?

 

[aart]

With regards to wood chips, how big can they be? We cut wood for our wood stove and we have a lot of left over pieces mostly bark. I have a whole box that has been dried since last year. How big is too big?

Pieces of barks would be great......as to size, hard to put a number on it.
I'd say nothing larger than they can easily move around by scratching.
I'd be wary of large sharp edged pieces from splitting firewood.
It's hard to avoid 'splinters' but, gotta use common sense and gut feeling as what's too big and/or too sharp.

Do you have a chipper?
Might feed that stuff thru chipper first.

 

[lazy gardener]

As for bumble foot, I've been using DLM in my coop and run for years, and never had issue with bumble foot. I will state that I don't often put chips in the coop b/c I've not had access to a lot of well aged stuff. But, in the past have trundled multiple loads of aged chips into the run.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Consider sand in the run. It eliminates mud.

 

[chickenreyna]

Interesting i had to cover my whole ac unit area where the "condensation," leaked out with stepping stones last summer due to the excessive draining it was on causing having to run my AC unit full on, during my hottest months and this wasnt your typical puddle neither. ... no matter if it was 100+degrees out sun out fully exposed and all it never dried up... Im going to have to switch it up bc it worked but looks junky all these stepping stones by my hvac unit...LOL

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Pieces of barks would be great......as to size, hard to put a number on it.
I'd say nothing larger than they can easily move around by scratching.
I'd be wary of large sharp edged pieces from splitting firewood.
It's hard to avoid 'splinters' but, gotta use common sense and gut feeling as what's too big and/or too sharp.

Do you have a chipper?
Might feed that stuff thru chipper first.

We don't have a chipper, but my husband is always keen on getting new tools.

 

[chickenreyna]

With regards to wood chips, how big can they be? We cut wood for our wood stove and we have a lot of left over pieces mostly bark. I have a whole box that has been dried since last year. How big is too big?

I have really shredded i use in nesting boxes its extremely finely shredded however not sure if it would work as well. I will post pic of bag for this post

 

[aart]

Consider sand in the run. It eliminates mud.

Mud and sand often creates concrete
.....and this thread is about wood chips

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Mud and sand often creates concrete
.....and this thread is about wood chips

That hasn't been my experience, especially when wet. Wood chips can be great, I guess (not my experience), but sand is better IMO. Just suggesting a cleaner, dryer alternative.

 

[aart]

That hasn't been my experience, especially when wet. Wood chips can be great, I guess (not my experience), but sand is better IMO. Just suggesting a cleaner, dryer alternative.

Might help if you describe your use more clearly,
starting with your location(put it in your profile?),
is your run covered and do you scoop poops?).

Sand in an uncovered run will not stay dry,
and it will also not help decompose the poops as wood chips will.
Sand might work in some climatein some coops,
but this thread is about:
Wood chips for OUTSIDE the coop