Wood mulch in run

[kimbymarie]

Hello all, My chicken coop is up and on one end it has sand on the other it has hemlock wood mulch. Just want to know if that type of wood mulch is all right for the run. It is also at this time a bit damp. Do I need it to dry out before letting my 5 week old chicks on it. Thank you.

 

[patandchickens]

Sure, no problem at all (although mulch can sometimes make a run soggy/stinky, at least in the long term -- but that depends so much on climate/site/soil/chickens/etc, I would not make a prediction for your situation in particular)

If you are thinking hemlock=poison, that is an utterly different plant in the carrot family. Hemlock TREES, from which your mulch is made, are harmless as long as they do not fall on your head

I would not worry about the dampness as long as it isn't getting moldy/mildewy beneath the surface of the mulch (sometimes this will happen with fresh chippings; I have never personally seen it happen with commercial bagged mulch tho). I mean, after all, it will get damp whenever it rains

Good luck, have fun,

Pat