[SurreyLass]

We have had a mostly dead plum tree in our garden for donkeys years, and final took it down yesterday. One of the larger parts of branch is quite a nice ark now chopped off, and we were wondering if the girls would like this in their run to stand on etc - is that the kind of things chickens like? Does it matter that it is dead-ish?? Should we pull loose bark off??

They have stripped their patch of all its grass now, so we bought a bag of hardwood chips today to put down. ANy other recommendations?

The run isnt tall enough for us to stand in - its about waist height, and is attached to a Forsham Arc.

Thanks as always!

[bantam novice]

Hens love to jump up onto things at different heights so my feeling is that they will love this.  It sounds as if you have five star accommodation.  Lucky girls! 

[SurreyLass]

Guess I will be busy in the morning then - need to rake out the poo, lay the bark and somehow get my husband in to place the tree trunk!

Would you take the loose bark off? Worried it might harm them....

[Carla]

I put a dead conifer trunk in my chickens run a few months back, just as it was, bark and all and they love it. All manner of creepy crawlies live in the bark and it's good for them to forage for them. They stand on it  to look for me when its treat time

[Lindeggs]

Leave the bark on.  Plum tree bark is fine for chickens and like carla said some of the best creepy-crawlies live under the bark.  The chickens can have fun pulling it off and adding it to the litter on the floor.