Is Rubber Mulch Safe For Chickens

Rubber of course utilizes chemicals in the manufacturing process.

Is rubber mulch safe for chickens. What are good invasive evergreen groundcovers that can take foot traffic but do not grow more than about 4 inches. It may have a toxicity to certain plants and animals. Specifically many homeowners ask if dyed mulch also called colored mulch is safe to handle when mulching plants or safe to use around food crops. Get the facts over 60 studies conducted over the past 20 years by government agencies and top universities have researched every possible hazard that could be potentially related to rubber mulch.

It can eliminate the need for annual mulching since rubber doesn t. I need to use them instead of mulch to cover the whole garden where i do not have anything growing which will mainly be fruit trees and fruit shrubs and also it would be good if my chickens can munch on them but not enough to completely kill them off like they did with turf. Like everything else it does break down and when it does it leaches a witch s brew of heavy metals and toxic chemicals into the soil and ground water. Dyed mulch can be safe to use depending on source of wood.

Finally rubber mulch isn t a healthy choice. Another plus of using rubber mulch is that unlike some wood mulches it does not feed any pests such as termites or carpenter ants. Rubber mulch is also a fire hazard it burns at a much higher temperature than natural mulches and belches toxic smoke. The colored mulch is a food safe dye so that s not the problem.

Rubber mulch might sound as aesthetically appealing as an artificial christmas tree but it does have a few selling points. The downside is that it has been found to be the preferred mulch. Those potentially can contain pesticides. Contrary to popular belief both wood mulch and rubber mulch can contain chemicals.

The top layer of soil may need to be removed to get rid of all rubber pieces or the mulch may need to be plucked out by hand if it gets into the ground. The studies have unanimously concluded that recycled rubber is safe. Some wood mulches are made with industrial pallets that may have come in contact with various chemicals. Recycled rubber materials tend to leach heavy metals and chemicals into the soil over time.