[otis pony]

I use bark chippings in my chicken run.  When I clean the run out I have a large amount of pooey chippings, would I be able to use these on the veggie patch as a mulch?

[RichardA]

Surely they will take too long to break down and will keep reappearing as bits in the ground getting in way of raking etc. I guess as a mulch where you dont dig or disturb the soil it would work such as around rhubarb or fruit trees.
I have heard (I dont know the truth of it) that as wood rots it robs ground of nitrogen and other nutrients so can be less benefit than you think.
R

[otis pony]

I thought that may be the case   What a waste of poo!!, would straw be any better?

[JayG]

Tricky!

Bark chippings are a "brown" source of potential organic material which needs nitrogen to help it to rot down, but of course chicken poo is a good source of nitrogen!

I think on balance you would find that the nitrogen would leach away before the chippings rotted leaving you with the problem RichardA has described.

I'd go with his suggestion, or use it as a weed suppressant/feed on flower borders or add in small quantities to your compost heap/s.

 

[diggerjoe]

I wondered about this as well as at our site they have had delivered a big heap of wood chippings and what looks and smells like pine clippings mixed in as well. I had to to dig underneath at one edge to get to the usual horse offerings. I would think that the chippings will take ages to rot down so thought about using them on paths but you can guarantee that those who are new to plots might take this stuff and dig it in and with pine as well I would imgaine that mix will be more acid is that right?

[sunshineband]

Slightly more acid as it has pine needles in the mix, yes 


The chippings do make a good covering for paths -- I put either weed membrane or cardboard underneath mine so that weeds cannot mke their way through so easily. Thye just come up through the chippings, even when it is several inches thick 

[strangerachael]

Do you have space to just leave them in stack somewhere to compost down properly before using?

[sunshineband]

The wood chips take ages and ages tbh

[potatogrower]

think my next door used fine bark chippings as a base mixed in with a big pile of pig manure along with the usual left over veggie rot we have, grass cuttings etc, but he didn't touch his big compost heap for about 2 years at least. just a week before last we began digging it up and its proper rotted stuff. just need that natural heat source to help break it up. i had my own little compost heap and put my arm right down into the centre and surprised how much heat there was and what a stink!

if its free can;t see why not use it but it will take a while to rot.

wood does need nitrogen to break down and i believe that is why they use it to control weed growth by sucking out the nitrogen from the soil but by the sounds of it it don't always work  

[JayG]

Bark chippings are much less dense and also more porous than wood chippings, so will rot down a lot quicker (but it's all relative!)

My understanding of the "nitrogen robbing" effect of brown organic material is that it's not really an issue if it is used as a mulch; it's a separate layer which doesn't interact much with the soil underneath it. Different story if it is dug into the soil of course.

[otis pony]

Thx for the advice, think I will try and compost it in layers with other matter and leave for 12 months or so.

[savbo]

I seem to remember that in Northern Ireland they are trialling woodchip bedding for commercial chicken sheds that they can then make into potting compost...