Topic: using woodchip for chicken run

[CambourneSandra]

I have access to wood chip from the local parish council but it is old chipped christmas trees.

Would this a suitable ground cover for our chicken run as currently they are swimming in mud due to the excessive rain?

[grannyjanny]

I don't know Cam, there are some that shouldn't be used. We put a tarpaulin sheet over our run (as in OH did ;D) & now it only drips ;D. We bought a bale of straw & let them play with it. It took them days to get it all nice & neat & tidy & level. If we could get hold of it we would use Rapport which is a bedding material used for horses etc. It rots down very quickly into usable compost.

[CambourneSandra]

I don't know Cam, there are some that shouldn't be used. We put a tarpaulin sheet over our run (as in OH did ;D) & now it only drips ;D. We bought a bale of straw & let them play with it. It took them days to get it all nice & neat & tidy & level. If we could get hold of it we would use Rapport which is a bedding material used for horses etc. It rots down very quickly into usable compost.

we too have tarpaulin on the top, but it is quite windy here so sometimes the rain has been coming in sideways, also a lot of the allotment site is under up to 6 inches of water (our isnt as we have tarpaulin over most of the lottie so it has been running onto the neighbours)

is straw ok to use? as we got told not to as they will get splinters. What about hemcore would that be ok?

[Melbourne12]

Softwood chippings aren't as good as hardwood chips, but a lot better than mud!  We've finally settled on hardwood chips.  They're not cheap, but they last for ages.

You can use Aubiose (we use it in the henhouses), or Hemcore/Rapport, but they're jolly expensive for covering a run of any size.  Plus, if they do get wet, they absorb the water rather than being free draining.

[CambourneSandra]

is straw safe to use as we were told not to use it because the chickens would get splinters in their legs

[goodlife]

is straw safe to use as we were told not to use it because the chickens would get splinters in their legs

I've never heard anything about splinters  ??? Yes..it is fine..I use it all the time and once the straw gets soiled it is good to use in lotty.. ;)

[Copper Coin]

Straw is great for them, no chance of splinters.  They have a great time going through it and looking for any seeds that may be left in there.  Makes a great addition to the lottie once it's done with in the chook run.