AdventureGirl
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Which wood chips are suitable for chicken runs?We use chipped wood on the floor of our chicken run ... have been buying it from B&Q but it is proving expensive!
I asked a local tree surgeon about having some from him, but he thought you needed to be very careful about which wood you used.
So, is anything dangerous for them?
Am I right that I shouldn't be using chipped bark in there?
Is there anything else we could use instead? It isn't a waterproof run so things like shredded newspaper wouldn't work very well. We tried straw but that was horrible after the rain.
Looking forward to your great advice as always!
Cheers
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Penny
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We use the massive bales you get from Countrywide, about £5.99 and last a month or so. The shavings have to have the dust extracted from them really, otherwise they can cause breathing problems for the chooks I think.
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pink bouncy
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As far as I'm aware, wood chippings are fine for chickens. I believe you can get them from your local council for free. Something else you can get free that is suitable for use in chicken runs is autumn leaves! Councils sweep up loads of the stuff and put it in sacks. All you have to do is ask and they will bring some to you. It does need to have the odd crisp packet removed from it though..... 
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Treacodactyl
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Yep, we also use the dust-extracted wood shavings from our local country stores. Anywhere that sells horsey stuff should sell them.
You're right in saying bark chips shouldn't be used as they can go mouldy and that can cause breathing problems for the hens.
I'm not sure what other shavings might cause problems, I know my hens have a tenancy to eat small wood chips and sawdust.  I don't know why but at least oak doesn't seem to harm them.
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VSS
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Those dust extracted shavings are seriously bad news for ducklings by the way.
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Frewen Feltmaker
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I keep my chickens on 20mm gravel/pebbles. It sluices down well and they can still scratch around in it and excavate their dust baths 
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lottie
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| VSS wrote: | | Those dust extracted shavings are seriously bad news for ducklings by the way. |
Excuse my ignorance but why? I don't use them but it would be helpful to know why I shouldn't this spring---you may have saved me from a bad mistake---thanks
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VSS
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| lottie wrote: | | VSS wrote: | | Those dust extracted shavings are seriously bad news for ducklings by the way. |
Excuse my ignorance but why? I don't use them but it would be helpful to know why I shouldn't this spring---you may have saved me from a bad mistake---thanks |
They eat them, for some stupid reason, then they die. Seems to just bung up their whole system.
Ducks with very small ducklings are better off on some old deep litter, such as an empty calf pen that you haven't got around to mucking out yet.
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RichardW
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Turkey poults do the same.
Justme
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lottie
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Thanks for the info
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tonythetree
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Re: Which wood chips are suitable for chicken runs? | AdventureGirl wrote: | We use chipped wood on the floor of our chicken run ... have been buying it from B&Q but it is proving expensive!
I asked a local tree surgeon about having some from him, but he thought you needed to be very careful about which wood you used.
So, is anything dangerous for them?
Am I right that I shouldn't be using chipped bark in there?
Is there anything else we could use instead? It isn't a waterproof run so things like shredded newspaper wouldn't work very well. We tried straw but that was horrible after the rain.
Looking forward to your great advice as always!
Cheers |
Greetings from a tree surgeon I run my chooks on woodchip mulch have done for a while no probs
Tony 
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Mary-Jane
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Re: Which wood chips are suitable for chicken runs? | tonythetree wrote: | Greetings from a tree surgeon I run my chooks on woodchip mulch have done for a while no probs
Tony |
Well hello there...
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Penny
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Hello - great name 
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Mary-Jane
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| Mary-Jane wrote: | | tonythetree wrote: | Greetings from a tree surgeon I run my chooks on woodchip mulch have done for a while no probs
Tony |
Well hello there... |
| Penny wrote: | | Hello - great name |
Just to let you know Tonythetree - Penny and I are the sensible voice of sweet reason around here. Stick with us and you'll be in safe hands... 
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villager
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That was an interesting post from Frewen, who said, "I keep my chickens on 20mm gravel/pebbles. It sluices down well and they can still scratch around in it and excavate their dust baths."
Small-scale farmers here always keep their broiler chickens on deep litter, consisting of leaves or sawdust.. Generally, the litter is of inadequate depth, and I suppose that the chickens are susceptible to respiratory diseases from the dust. This idea for using stones/gravel seems to me a way of keeping the floor clean, and avoiding respiratory problems.
I can see that Frewen's system will be more expensive to set-up, but that there are long-term benefits such as easy maintenance, and with proper drainage and collection it will be a source of liquid manure, which can be piped to growing crops.
Why is this system not used more often, particularly on the commercial scale?
Ta
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AdventureGirl
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Thanks everone - I shall search out a source of wood chippings for my chooks now.
Cheers
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Madame Cholet
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I was thinking the same question. I am getting my hens in a few weeks and I have seen a tree surgeon not far from me with loads of shredded cuttings going free, from what looks like mixed trees. I am sure each visit it would be a different type of wood. So its fine to use this? The chips are quite big, not like sawdust but like small twig size.
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Frewen Feltmaker
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| villager wrote: | That was an interesting post from Frewen, who said, "I keep my chickens on 20mm gravel/pebbles. It sluices down well and they can still scratch around in it and excavate their dust baths."
Small-scale farmers here always keep their broiler chickens on deep litter, consisting of leaves or sawdust.. Generally, the litter is of inadequate depth, and I suppose that the chickens are susceptible to respiratory diseases from the dust. This idea for using stones/gravel seems to me a way of keeping the floor clean, and avoiding respiratory problems.
I can see that Frewen's system will be more expensive to set-up, but that there are long-term benefits such as easy maintenance, and with proper drainage and collection it will be a source of liquid manure, which can be piped to growing crops.
Why is this system not used more often, particularly on the commercial scale?
Ta |
well my gravel is just on plain dirt so the manure is sluiced down to that, and of course their house proper has a slatted base and nest box in which I put some chopped straw. I suppose you could do something to gather the chicken manure but they would need something else to dust bathe in.
I have seen chickens kept in covered runs (sides open) on builders sand - that seemed to work well too.
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tonythetree
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| Madame Cholet wrote: | | I was thinking the same question. I am getting my hens in a few weeks and I have seen a tree surgeon not far from me with loads of shredded cuttings going free, from what looks like mixed trees. I am sure each visit it would be a different type of wood. So its fine to use this? The chips are quite big, not like sawdust but like small twig size. |
Most well composted woodchips are ok just make sure that there isn't any recently shredded yew in it 
Tony
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Madame Cholet
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ok Tony, thanks for that.
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Cho-ku-ri
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Are you talking about an outdoor run? I would have thought shavings would get too wet and mushy outside? What is wrong with an earth floor to the run?
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AdventureGirl
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Ours are in an outside run, that has a roof. However, the ground is heavy clay and when it gets wet at all it turns to horrible sticky mud.
We have just tried our first batch of wood chips (shredded prunings from our own trees) and it is working extremely well so far.
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Cho-ku-ri
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I might be tempted to use sand as it is free draining rather than wood chips that will get damp and mould.
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