You are impatient. They improve water retention as they rot. For now, they are only limiting evaporation, which is a good thing anyway. Check back next year. Those in the chicken run may have already rotted due to frequent turning and N fertilization from the chickens.

I agree with Glib, give it time and don't put on any more chips until those already there have begun to break down unless you are willing to irrigate. I chip enough tree bark saved through the winter to add about 1" of the chipped stuff to the raspberry beds each Spring. Each Spring I find the earth has consumed the previous year's addition. At only 1" deep, it's enough to retain moisture but not too much to act as a big sponge for our scant rainfall during the growing season.

Keep experimenting, that's how we learn what works for us where we are.

BTW, I do add an N fertilizer to aid the soil microbes in breaking down all of that cellulose and making sure there's enough left for the berries.

This subject has been beaten to death at this forum. I'm sure a search will give you more than you can read on the pros and cons.

Jon, you're welcome to not participate in the further beating.

May I ask about the size of the chips?

I'm not sure there are great descriptive standards out there. Most of the nurseries/yard centers around here have samples out.

I used to buy shredded hardwood mulch for my front beds. It was ground pretty fine. A couple of inches of that broke down each year. I now have a free source of similar material from the township and plan (hope) to cover my vegetable garden.

I have a pickup, a big shovel and lots of time so I will be hard at work...until my back goes.

I have read about Back to Eden method etc. But I think that planting in anything that is green and waiting to compost is not the right thing to do. Also goes for mulching vegetables garden with wood chips.

Those stuff aldo bound Nitrogen. A lot of people often complain that despite of regular fertilizing , their plants are not doing well. Come to find out that the soil has too much unfinished/raw compost. Anothe problem with with wood chips is that they make a heaven for a lot of bugs and insects, termite, ants, pill bugs, earwigs,

However, I do mix in and mulch with conifur bark (not shredded wood chips). Pine , fur , hemlock bark make good soil amendments and mulch.

So clearly there are pro and cons on using wood chips in/on vegetables garden. JMO

Seysonn