We got a load of wood mulch dropped off by the local tree trimming service. They did this last year and we used it in the garden. Both last year and this year, it immediately started cooking in the damp and heat and when you dig into the pile for any reason, you can see the mold spores flying off of the mulch from inside the pile. The chicken run gets terribly muddy and I'd like to have used some mulch but I'm worried about the molds. Once it's spread out and hosed down, it seems fine, but can it make the chickens sick? Could I keep them in the chicken tractor while the mulch settles down in their run for a day? Or could I "bake" it on some black plastic in the sun for a day and then put it in the run? Ideas?