Anyone use SAND in the run/coop

[Nksg75]

I know this is an older post. I am hopeful someone still visits it.
One question for you:
I am planning on putting sand in my coop this winter sometime. I have a pretty large coop(20x30) so I don’t want to mess up and have to redo it.
Do I need to shovel out the existing shavings (mixed in with dirt) I have now?
Or is it best to lay a screen type material to keep it separate from the sand I will be putting in?
We live in south Texas and have a clay like soil that doesn’t have the best drainage.

If a screen material is recommended can you show me pics?

Thanks for advice

 

[aart]

I know this is an older post. I am hopeful someone still visits it.
One question for you:
I am planning on putting sand in my coop this winter sometime. I have a pretty large coop(20x30) so I don’t want to mess up and have to redo it.
Do I need to shovel out the existing shavings (mixed in with dirt) I have now?
Or is it best to lay a screen type material to keep it separate from the sand I will be putting in?
We live in south Texas and have a clay like soil that doesn’t have the best drainage.

If a screen material is recommended can you show me pics?

Thanks for advice

Is your coop 'floor' dirt?
Do you also have a run?
Does it flood from the bad drainage?
Sand + chicken poop(you can never sift all the poop out) + dampness = stinky.
I would not use mesh or screening on any floor/ground where chickens walk/scratch/dig.
Pics of the area might help.

 

[Nksg75]

Is your coop 'floor' dirt?
Do you also have a run?
Does it flood from the bad drainage?
Sand + chicken poop(you can never sift all the poop out) + dampness = stinky.
I would not use mesh or screening on any floor/ground where chickens walk/scratch/dig.
Pics of the area might help.

Yes it is a dirt floor, I do have shavings in there now.
No I don’t technically have a run, they free range.
It doesn’t flood, however when we have pouring rain for days on end, the water will make the outside and inside perimeter damp.
Regarding the mesh, I wasn’t sure if people try to empty out what they have in the coop before adding sand or just lay a barrier so the sand doesn’t mix with the shavings.
I am having trouble uploading pics, however I recently posted in coop building section with a video at the end. That may give you a better idea of the area.
Here is the video:
If you go to the end I show the inside of the coop.

 

[aart]

Regarding the mesh, I wasn’t sure if people try to empty out what they have in the coop before adding sand or just lay a barrier so the sand doesn’t mix with the shavings.

I'm not sure, would be pretty hard to lay a barrier that would keep the sand from sifting down into the current bedding as the chickens scratch, it would have to be solid not mesh....and they may scratch it up eventually.
So if you really want sand in there I would remove all the current bedding, as I assume you will sift poops out?
I am not fan of sand and not sure why you think it would be better for your coop(which is mighty nice BTW).

 

[paintedChix]

I know this is an older post. I am hopeful someone still visits it.
One question for you:
I am planning on putting sand in my coop this winter sometime. I have a pretty large coop(20x30) so I don’t want to mess up and have to redo it.
Do I need to shovel out the existing shavings (mixed in with dirt) I have now?
Or is it best to lay a screen type material to keep it separate from the sand I will be putting in?
We live in south Texas and have a clay like soil that doesn’t have the best drainage.

If a screen material is recommended can you show me pics?

Thanks for advice

Wonderful coop. Had to go back and re-read the first post as I was jaw dropping as they kept comin' & comin' out of that pop door, LOL... I'd love to see more pics of the inside of your coop building, LOVELY!

I'm with Aart. Not a fan of sand at all, though maybe you do want to have some mix in with the clay to make more of a better draining loamy soil there in the coop. NOT sure about that.

Otherwise... I think you just need to do what ever materials you can find for a good DLM. In south TX, I'm not sure what you have access to. May not have a lot of trees w/ leaves?? Mowed & dried grass(s) from folks who don't use herb/pesticides on their lawns/pastures, straw, any leaves from the area, mulch from ?? (especially the larger or different sizes), wood shavings like you already use, weeds, garden leavings, waste paper & cardboard - shredded. Hemp and pelleted bedding(s). Does anyone grow corn in the area - corn stalks. Not all of any one kind but a mix that will break down & allow air & moisture to wick through and do it's DLM "thing"... If there are pine trees anywhere around - pine straw & small limbs.

Also, no to a screen between what you currently have and what you are planning on adding... Personally I think you need it to mix and you don't want your birds scratching on the screen. Also, as whatever you currently have on the "floor" will continue to decompose (as it is meant to) and then you would have uneven areas/holes under the screen that you may not be able to level OR the sand would then move thru the screen and ... hmmm... You meant a type of screen that would totally prevent the sand from "sinking", didn't you? im confusing myself, now...

 

[lynnehd]

Definitely an amazing coop! Very secure with plenty of room.
I have sand in my smaller covered run adjacent to the coop, and I really like it. But in the larger run area, I use the Deep Litter Method, which works very well at preventing the area from becoming muddy in the winter.
In your set up, I have to agree about using the DLM (if you can manage to find the ingredients), instead of sand. I think sand would work (since most of interior stays dry), but it would be, well, boring for the chickens. And if the perimeter sand got more wet than you anticipated, you'd have to look into covering the bottom walls with plastic, etc.
However, since your coop is really a huge coop/run, using DLM would simply be more practical and give them lots of scratching and pecking time, even during those endless rainy periods. And if parts if it around the edge get wet, no matter. You could go reasonably deep, which would keep the area very fresh.

 

[Nick19]

I'm attaching pictures of my coop and run for my ducks. By regulations on Columbus Ohio, you are required to have flooring in your coop and run. That's floors of concrete, pavers, horse stall mats, etc.. That means no ground, soil, dirt. I use 3/4 thick 4 ft x 4ft horse stall mats.

Per Metzer Duck farm: they suggest 1in x 1in mesh welded hardware over 1x4 boards to make an area for the duck water pan/bucket. That hardware would be over a 1ft or 2ft deep pit so the water and poo will enter the pit...not spread the water and poo over the rest of the run. The rest of the run would stay moe dry.

Has anyone else done this? Is yes, how's it working...pictures.
Thank you.

 

[Nksg75]

I'm not sure, would be pretty hard to lay a barrier that would keep the sand from sifting down into the current bedding as the chickens scratch, it would have to be solid not mesh....and they may scratch it up eventually.
So if you really want sand in there I would remove all the current bedding, as I assume you will sift poops out?
I am not fan of sand and not sure why you think it would be better for your coop(which is mighty nice BTW).

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.

 

[Nksg75]

Wonderful coop. Had to go back and re-read the first post as I was jaw dropping as they kept comin' & comin' out of that pop door, LOL... I'd love to see more pics of the inside of your coop building, LOVELY!

I'm with Aart. Not a fan of sand at all, though maybe you do want to have some mix in with the clay to make more of a better draining loamy soil there in the coop. NOT sure about that.

Otherwise... I think you just need to do what ever materials you can find for a good DLM. In south TX, I'm not sure what you have access to. May not have a lot of trees w/ leaves?? Mowed & dried grass(s) from folks who don't use herb/pesticides on their lawns/pastures, straw, any leaves from the area, mulch from ?? (especially the larger or different sizes), wood shavings like you already use, weeds, garden leavings, waste paper & cardboard - shredded. Hemp and pelleted bedding(s). Does anyone grow corn in the area - corn stalks. Not all of any one kind but a mix that will break down & allow air & moisture to wick through and do it's DLM "thing"... If there are pine trees anywhere around - pine straw & small limbs.

Also, no to a screen between what you currently have and what you are planning on adding... Personally I think you need it to mix and you don't want your birds scratching on the screen. Also, as whatever you currently have on the "floor" will continue to decompose (as it is meant to) and then you would have uneven areas/holes under the screen that you may not be able to level OR the sand would then move thru the screen and ... hmmm... You meant a type of screen that would totally prevent the sand from "sinking", didn't you? im confusing myself, now...

YEs we have a ton of trees and as soon as I can be good someone to shred this darn field I will have more.
We have pine trees, lots of fruit trees, oaks, a very large eucalyptus tree, hackberry trees, cypress trees, mesquite trees, and of course tons of rose hedge (McCartney rose) that won’t die in the back pasture!
Yes I meant more like a small screen that the sand won’t wash out of.
We have clay like soil that just doesn’t dry as fast as I would like.
It’s not flooded all the time, just seeps in around peremiter when we have torrential rain.

 

[Nksg75]

Definitely an amazing coop! Very secure with plenty of room.
I have sand in my smaller covered run adjacent to the coop, and I really like it. But in the larger run area, I use the Deep Litter Method, which works very well at preventing the area from becoming muddy in the winter.
In your set up, I have to agree about using the DLM (if you can manage to find the ingredients), instead of sand. I think sand would work (since most of interior stays dry), but it would be, well, boring for the chickens. And if the perimeter sand got more wet than you anticipated, you'd have to look into covering the bottom walls with plastic, etc.
However, since your coop is really a huge coop/run, using DLM would simply be more practical and give them lots of scratching and pecking time, even during those endless rainy periods. And if parts if it around the edge get wet, no matter. You could go reasonably deep, which would keep the area very fresh.

Ok thanks for the advice. DLM would certainly save me a ton of time right now.
I really like how a sand filled coop looks so much cleaner, and supposedly doesn’t harbor as much bacteria.
I was under the impression that DLM is not the best option in our hot/humid and rainy summers.
Not sure where I read or heard that.
I need to go back and figure that one out.