Anyone use SAND in the run/coop

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Thank you. Well the there are 2 reasons why I am wanting sand.
First it doesn’t flood in the coop per say, however if you look close enough you may be able to see a small gap along the sides of the coop. It’s all covered with hardware cloth. As we seem to be having more and more tropical weather here every year, the water seeps into the coop from the sides and it’s not the best environment for the ladies.
I have a barrier of washout concrete around the entire outside perimeter to try and keep the seeping down to bare minimum.it does a decent job, except when we get ungodly amounts of rain in 24hour periods.
(I am sure you have had heard about all the flooding in the houston area recently)
Well it’s more than my barrier can handle and I thought if I raised the entire INside of the coop about 6 inches before the next hurricane season we may be able to minimize the length of time it take to dry out.
Also I realize that is a LOT of sand I would need.
I think it may save time and money in the long run.
I would be more inclined to add drainage trenches around the outside of run,
hopefully you have a bit of slope and some lower ground nearby.
I still think that 'deep' litter' (mostly wood chippings) would be better than sand.

When you had flooding, was there standing water inside the coop/run?
 
I would be more inclined to add drainage trenches around the outside of run,
hopefully you have a bit of slope and some lower ground nearby.
I still think that 'deep' litter' (mostly wood chippings) would be better than sand.

When you had flooding, was there standing water inside the coop/run?
Yes to the standing water question.
We did have some around the inside perimeter. Possibly due to the low slopingroofline. Or many not.
It seemed to run off the side then get trapped and not being able to go elsewhere it just sat and seeped into the sides.

Remember this was an extremely heavy rain. We had close to 16” in a very short time frame.
Driving down the road, at least the roads that were still passable, I saw so many homes flooded. There I was worrying about chickenswhen these people had water in their living room.
Anyway I did dig a temporary ditch to run the water away from the coop.
I was dreading the that word drainage!
Ahh, I would much prefer to raise the inside than do drainage work.
 
I was wonder if you guy or gals use sand in your run or coop and if so what do you think about it? Can you still rake out the poop or what? Is it messy???
I took 2 chickens to the vet a couple months ago for my first bumblefoot. He really didn't help much but I'm still working on it. My 4x8' coop is vinyl covering over plywood covered with shavings. I changed my mini pine nugget 8x12' pen to river sand (1 tractor bucket) and just added another 750# of coarse sand from a local site. I still need more. It does NOT go as far as you might think. We all love it! My 5 chickens are doing great with it and it is easier to clean.
 
I had someone tell me to put Lime or D.E. either around or in with the sand a little to help with the flies/smell. Is this true and/or necessary?
 
I was wonder if you guy or gals use sand in your run or coop and if so what do you think about it? Can you still rake out the poop or what? Is it messy???
I’m a newbie with chicks. I was redoing my riding area and decided to put sand in the chicken run. My chicks love it! They actually bury themselves in there. They’re cleaning their feathers and staying cool.
 
Yes, what about summer when I walk on hot sand with my bare feet its well hot. How is it to a chicken? Would someone please ask their chicken for me? What about fleas? Please list all the PROS and CONS.
I have a fair size pen and if I put it in I do not want to take it out.
Thanks for your reply.
I use sand inside my coop so no direct sun issues. The ground in my run is almost all sand with some plain dirt mixed in. My run is covered with clear roofing so not too hot. I do not have fleas anywhere now that I don't have dogs in my yard. Sand is the best decision I have made concerning my chickens.
 
I was wonder if you guy or gals use sand in your run or coop and if so what do you think about it? Can you still rake out the poop or what? Is it messy???
It is the best thing I have done for my chickens. I use a kitty litter scooper to clean the sand inside the coop. A garden rack can be used in the run. I also put "boot trays" inside my coop under the roost bars to catch the poop. Everything stays clean, no smell, and no flies.
 
We sure do we just scraped down to the dirt in every coop and laid 4 tons of sand ! We live in the desert and this is working wonders for us with having to use a misting system. It keeps the coops so clean and dry! And the flies are gone ! It’s so amazing absolutely love this idea!
 
I use dirt, and mix the poo in with a hand cultivator, and once or twice a year, you empty it out, replace it with fresh sand or dirt, and use the old stuff for compost. You mix some of that with dirt that wouldn't be good for planting, or old dirt, and boom, you got good soil.
 
The above method is great for bigger coops and runs, but for small coops, it is better to use play sand and scoop it every day.
Use the manure for fertilizer.
(Chicken poo is very acidic, so use carefully)
 

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