Wood chips in the run?

[Katt47]

So I'm finally installing my run this weekend, and I have guys coming to take down several trees in my yard around the new coop. (Chickens coming after the tree cutting)
So they will chip the trees and shoot them into my woods. I'm wondering if I can use those in the run. I read somewhere the bark can cause problems as it breaks down. Does anyone have any info on this?

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Here's a link to a search I've just done

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/search

 

[drumstick diva]

Well the trees may have been diseased or buggy and that comes along with it.

 

[MrsMistyReal]

Welcome aboard to BYC family gr8 people tons of information loads of fun enjoy shake your tail feathers

 

[Aji Dulce]

So I'm finally installing my run this weekend, and I have guys coming to take down several trees in my yard around the new coop. (Chickens coming after the tree cutting)
So they will chip the trees and shoot them into my woods. I'm wondering if I can use those in the run. I read somewhere the bark can cause problems as it breaks down. Does anyone have any info on this?

I asked that question also because I too, am a new to chickens. My babies are two weeks old. I was told that to use woodchips in the coop, the wood chips need to be seasoned for a time to let the moisture escape, in other words not to use fresh chips. If you use them in your run that has ventilation on three sides and basically is out in the open then it should not be a problem. It would be like them free ranging and having access to your woodchips pile. What is important is to have the bedding be perfectly dry inside the coop where they are closed up. Others may comment on this but I was planning on using woodchips in the run since it is roofed and about 30 days later I could use those dry chips to put into the coop as bedding. And put fresh chips in the run again.

 

[ronott1]

You have been given good advice!

 

[Plip]

Welcome to BYC! Great to have you here!

 

[N F C]

It's nice to have you here, thanks for joining us!

 

[PirateGirl]

I do not buy packaged wood chips from the farm supply store, I get them from other sources. They are not "seasoned" or kiln dried or any of that. In a well ventilated coop I don't think that adding green wood instead of super dry wood is going to destroy your coop humidity levels (I could be wrong). Chickens love if they get extra bugs from the fresh wood chips. If used in the run and chickens are scratching around, they break down quickly. I am relatively new to compost and know that you need green matter and brown matter to balance things out, and the wood chips offset the chicken poop nicely. Long story short, I think it would be a good use of your resources. Others may argue against it as being less sanitary or something, but chickens live outside, they are exposed to the elements and the microbes in your environment anyway. They scratch in the dirt and poop and that's what they do.

 

[PirateGirl]

oh, someone mentioned after 30 days moving the chips to the coop... I generally find that in that amount of time the chips have been scratched down and decomposed to nothing and there are not chips left outside. I actually do it the other way around and move the soiled bedding from the coop to either the run or the compost pile to further break down.