Just to check - Bark wood chippings are hen-safe, right?

[Wax_Crayon]

My garden is descending into a mud put (although new grass is coming through where I planted it when I first confined my hens to their runs for a flubenvet week).

However, I have a plan.

My co-op are doing big (70 ltr) £5 bags of bark wood chippings, and my idea is to use this to thinly cover some of the worst-hit soil, helping hold it together and reducing the hens' impact.

I don't know of any health reasons not to do this, but I wanted to run the idea past some people with more experience than me.

 

[bantiekeeper]

I believe bark chippings are not recommended due to the possibility of spores giving the chooks respiratory problems. I use ordinary woodchip when I can get it! Someone with more experience than me will be along shortly to give you the lowdown.

 

[Marigold]

Yes I've heard tha as well, if by bark wood chippings you mean the sort which are basically lumps of bark chopped up and used for decorative purposes in the garden. What people usually mean by wood chippings is what results from a tree surgeon chipping up prunings, or the stuff you get from a garden processor. Lots of people use these, although they too are inclined to grow mould spores when wet and dirty.

 

[chrismahon]

Moulds spores are bad Wax_Crayon, but only in the coop. We had two flocks on bark chippings without respiratory problems. Guess it depends on how much wind there is. Our old place was windy so the runs were never damp and mouldy. We poo picked every day.

 

[foxy]

I prefer wood chips, nice and solid. They are used on top of a base of 3 inches of aggregate, and work really well. I also think that having wood or bark is OK as long as the area is light and area to prevent mould and dampness.