Wood Chips

[big rockpile]

I have Chicken House I clean out regularly for Compost plus kitchen scraps.

Got a pile of partially decomposed Wood Chips I'm thinking of adding some of these in my Compost.

Will This hurt anything?

big rockpile

 

[Mike]

I wouldn't think they would hurt anything, as long as you know the wood chips are free of any kind of herbicides and/or pesticides, but if they're good for the chickens I'd guess they're probably fine. I would think, though, that if they are chips they'll take a long time to break down. I've seen/heard of folks using sawdust before, but never wood chips. I don't see why they wouldn't work, though, if you don't mind waiting on them to break down.

 

[Meadowlark]

Wood chips are a valuable addition to compost, but they do break down slowly, much slower than chicken manure! It's best to mix them with other materials. Smaller wood chips break down faster. Keep the compost moist but not waterlogged. Wood chips can absorb a lot of moisture, so monitor the water content regularly.

 

[Jukebox Actual]

As previously mentioned, and from my personal experience, wood chips tend to take CONSIDERABLY longer to decompose. Also, size matters (I'm sure there's a joke here somewhere), with larger pieces being less ideal. Avoid colored wood chips altogether. Watch your ratios as well.