Woodchips for Poultry Runs

It is important when you are choosing a surface for your hens runs to choose one that is suitable for the hens. Ideally you need a surface that encourages scratching as this will prevent boredom from setting in. Happy hens have far less health problems. When looking for a suitable surface you need to consider the following.

 

BARK - this HOLDS water therefore your pen will become wetter if you put this down on the surface. More importantly it can hold a mold spore - ASPERGILLUS which is a mould that can cause respiratory problems.

 

We have scoured the country for a suitable surface and have found a great HARDWOOD wood chip that is suitable for poultry. It is BARK FREE and therefore aids drainage. It has large pieces from 10mm - 40mm which helps prevent the chippings from becoming compacted and ensures they are long lasting.

 

The chickens love it; it keeps them clean, gives them something to scratch in all day long, washes through with the rain and only needs topping up perhaps once or twice a year. Much better than bark, which is not advised because of the mould spores, and it does become slushy after the rain; softwood would degrade very quickly and just work its way into the mud; hardwood will just sit on top of the ground and can easily withstand all weathers; even though it is a hardwood it is still soft enough for the birds and best replicates the surfaces from their ancestoral roots from the jungle. We have found this woodchip is a perfect surface for chickens ....

So if you have a fixed run and they are down to bare earth, sprinkle a good layer of this in the run and you will have happy hens! It can be left in situ - if you are wanting to sanitise the ground remember to use our Poultry Care disinfectant on the chippings and it will keep any bacteria at bay.

We recommend 3 bags per 2 M square.