Wood chips or pine pellets?

[Chickendilly]

I am a new chicken owner. They have been in their outdoor run and coop for a little over a week. And, of course, they have eaten all of the grass that was in the run, so it's time to put something else down. In their coop, I have a mix of hemp and pine shavings and PDZ in a poop tray.

I am in Austin, TX, so it gets very hot, and we've had an unusually wet summer. The flies in the run are terrible! Ideally, whatever I put down would help with that, if possible. I am thinking of using wood mulch or horse pine pellets in the run. Which do you recommend?

If mulch, I can get a cypress blend or pine bark nuggets. Any advantages or disadvantages?

If I use the pellets, will they be difficult for the chicks to walk on? Should I spray them down first to soften them up a bit?

Thanks for any advice you have!

 

[OnlySympathy]

I highly recommend pine bark nuggets. They are have great drainage and airflow so it doesn’t get anaerobic. I’ve noticed a lot less flies and stink ever since I moved to it around a year ago

 

[McChooky]

I have a covered run that's used as a coop and run both so I use pine pellets.Unless your run is covered I wouldn't recommend using them. They'll be blown away in high winds when dry or washed away in heavy rains.