Chipper questions

[Stereo]

A bit of advice please. I have a 5 acre wood as well as hedges so plenty of firewood. I also keep a lot of chickens and this time of year they up paddling in mud which is not ideal. We also burn up a lot of brash every year from coppicing / hedging / logging etc.

 

So I'm thinking why not chip the tops and put them in the chicken pens. Questions are 1. What's the best way to store lots of chip? A pile outside or does it need to be in a barn / poly tunnel? Would I be better chipping nearer to the time I want it?

 

Secondly, given the amount of use, am I better to hire in a chipper for a weekend every year or can you get something decent for a grand or so that will cope with this sort of work load without too many problems?

[Mountain man]

Hire one for a couple of days. As for storage, it's going to get wet anyway so store it outside.

Chickens will love scratching around in that.

[Stereo]

Yeah, scanning around the hire prices and second hand values, it seems that is the way. Or am I better or burning the tops and finding a local tree firm who want to dump a few tons in our field for free?

[Stubby]

I think chickens will scratch that out in no time but hey . Keep shoveling it in .

[Mountain man]

Ahhhh, now that's a good idea. Tree surgeons love a tip site! Careful though, don't let them have a free rein, you'll end up with a mountain when your back's turned.

[Couldyajust]

There is a smallholding I do a lot of work for that has chip from me. I just tip a big tractor trailer load (approx 20 ton) in a heap & the chickens do the rest no spreading required. They get through 4 loads a year but they have chip most of the year round not just in winter.

 

If producing your own chip then hire one in as & when you have a substantial pile of brash it won't be cost effective to buy your own chipper.

[Daythe trees]

I know oak leaves are toxic to chickens, not sure about other species of tree or what you have on your land. I drop chip at my local allotment society and recently realised I may be making an error at times.

[Stereo]

Never heard that about oak leaves. We've got chickens running under oak trees and never had an issue. I suspect it's when you pen them in tight. Mine have big pens to run in so there is always 10m2 per bird but it's just around the house they turn to mud.

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Hire in a machine or even better, call a local tree surgeon and tell him you have a free tip for him.

Don't accept any Oak woodchips as they'll make your chickens ill.

[Greg]

I find that Oak wood chips in the smoker make chicken taste very nice :-)