Anyone use SAND in the run/coop

[Amyable]

If you are able to pick up the sand at a gravel pit yourself, it's cheaper yet. Most of the cost is in the delivery. We just got road gravel and pea gravel for $4 a ton!

Wondering if using sand in the coop is as great as everyone says in an area with harsh winters? We can get as low as -30; would sand freeze, especially if it is absorbing the moisture from the droppings?

This sounds like a great idea to me, if cold is not a problem.

 

[JeninMN]

You have my interest perked as well...in MN...looking for a better way to keep the coop this winter other than Straw since that is so messy....would sand be warm enough????? how thick would it need to be?

 

[nature nut]

The sand it our run started out being 6 inches deep and was really loose like the beach. A few months later it has settled to what I think is the perfect depth for our run.

Can't tell you if it'll be nice in a cold winter. It gets a bone chilling 20 or 30 degrees here in the winter.

I know, I know, it's pure misery to try to survive winter in the south.

 

[chickachicka]

I use sand in my coop. LOVE IT!! It takes me 3 minutes to scoop the poo with a kitty litter scooper. So clean & easy! The poo is nice & dry & no flys. I only have 4 pullets & a small coop a tad smaller than 4 by 4. I was wondering about the cold weather too. I will be putting sand in my run as soon as they eat up all the grass
Right now I have the course construction sand in there but I may get the playground sand too. I find that course sand dusty when I jiggle the litter scooper....so I wear a mask but mostly cause I'm pregnant. I have playground sand all around my kids playground & that isn't as dusty when I scoop it.
The chickens love it. I guess it is what ever they are used to.

 

[VTGIRL]

ok, my interest is peaked too. I'm lucky though my father in law owns a gravel pit right behind our house. I'm going to start putting sand in their run possibly tomorrow. If someone knows how it holds up in cold weather I'm also interested in the possibility of using it inside the coop. This forum is awesome!

 

[Billy7871]

It sound like sand may be the way to go. It cost $34 a ton here. I have no idea how much I will need. Thanks for your opinions.

 

[McCord6]

Florida basically doesn't have DIRT we have ALL SAND so it's already provided, LOL. We are not going to be using anything else. Dries fast, Drains great, and easy to rake through to clean up. That's the plan for us.

 

[ksct]

Anyone Have Any Advice/knowlege For Sand In The Run For Winter/snow/ice?

We Should Be Getting Our Sand Here Shortly... We Recently Purchased A Dump Trailer And As Soon As That Goes On The Road.... Sand Time! :d

 

[ivan3]

ksct wrote: Anyone Have Any Advice/knowlege For Sand In The Run For Winter/snow/ice?

Had two inches of ice in the chicken/turkey runs a few years ago: Just went around with a wrecking bar and busted it up, the several inches of sand underneath allowed me to simply tip the plates of broken up ice out of the way. When the temp rose into the upper twenties (F) I just dumped two hundred pounds more in each run (speeded melting).

We started with a large quantity of fine sand (akin to tube sand) in the runs but that disappeared into the top soil/clay during the spring thaw. Got serious and replaced with Quickrete Playsand, larger grain, (big sale back in `06). As the runs are on a slight slope, placing large rocks around fencing on low side allows us to rake up any that washes downhill.

The biggest improvement was observed in the turkey run during spring thaw: No more muddy/clay covered feet/legs/chests. They stayed clean while I was still having to travel from the house to the runs on 2"x6"s so as not to sink to the ankles in muck.

How much you will need to `amend' your local soil with is dependent on its composition.

 

[naturegrrl]

I put play sand (~$5 per 50 lb bag at Home Depot) down on the floor of our chicken run about a month ago, and I love love love it! As others have noted here, it absorbs moisture, dries out the poop quickly, and is easy to clean out with a litter scoop or similar tool. I am especially appreciative of the way the sand keeps our chickies' feet clean - the door to the run opens into our house and the chickens frequently invite themselves in; the sand has gone a long way toward preventing the dreaded Poo Foot. The girls themselves were shocked and appalled the first time they saw the run after I'd put the sand down - we had to chase them into the run to get them to set foot on this new, strange, squidgy stuff!

But they adjusted pretty quickly and are now happy to dust bathe and rest in it. They especially like it on hot days, as it is in the shade and sand stays nice and cool as long as it's not in the sun.