Wood chips from cutting down trees work?

[kathyinmo]

I saw an offer for free wood chips, from a tree cutting service. The cut down trees and run it through the "chipper." Is this acceptable to use for the chickens coop? I haven't checked to see what size they are, and have no further details. Just wondering, since it is free.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not used them in a coop so I'm not your best source for that. I'd expect them to work OK.

I've been able to get free wood chips here since our ice storm. The towns are giving them away from the cleanup. I use them to mulch around young trees and in some landscaping beds. I also have a pile that I am letting "rot" for a year and will use that for mulch in the garden next year. The should not fully compost since I am not adding any nitrogen but should work well as mulch in the garden.

Free is hard to pass up when it is useful. Good luck!

 

[StupidBird]

IMO, wood chips would be ok in the outside run to keep it from getting mucky, but inside? Chips are not absorbent as shavings, and if piled outside even for a week, if it gets wet, will get moldy - not something I'd think good for confined areas.
I am speaking from my mold allergy experience; I also use free municipal chips in the garden, but usually have to get the family to unload and spread. I use fresh chips over newspaper or cardboard straight on the paths between rows, since switching to permanent veg beds...

 

[PurpleChicken]

I use wood chips for my runs and love them. They are cheap or
free and work great.

I've used them for the inside too. They aren't as good as pine but do
work.

 

[ams3651]

My son works for a tree service and when they grind stumps I have used the shavings in the run when it was really muddy, it worked well but I havent tried it inside the coop.

 

[patandchickens]

Fine chippings are fine as bedding ONCE THEY ARE DRY. But depending on what the tree company was running through their shredder, they can be quite green and moist when you get them, in which case it is important to dry them out first because they can mold something FIERCE, and real real quickly too.

Coarse chippings, more like mulch, won't do too much good as bedding (better than *nothing*, but not that much better) and would be best as run footing (for a very dry and well-drained run) or used in the garden as mulch or composted for soil amendment.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[pattypenny]

I live in north west Arkansas and we had a terrible ice storm in January. the county put the limbs thro' a wood chipper. I got a truck load free and have been dumping wheel barrow loads in my chicken pen. The chickens scratch in the piles looking for something in the chips. They are eating something in the moist chips. The chickens do a good job of spreading it. This has kept the mud down in the pen. I also dumps some in the chicken house. This has been a great cover for the mud.
this makes a good mulch for flowers and will help hold the moisture if we ever get less rain and will help keep the weeds down.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I don't think the wood chips are good for the coop.

I too get FREE chips from a tree trimming company because they have to pay to take to the landfill because they also include greenery.

They come fresh from the chipper, so they are wet. Here in Washington, a lot of douglas fir trees are trimmed and those needles cause the fresh pile to heat up which causes the needles to burn a little.

The wood chips are great in the run or flower beds that like acidic soil like rhrodies and ferns.

 

[ducks4you]

You might want to check on the TYPE of wood. safest in pine

Otherwise....Lucky you!!