Mr. Sandman...bring me a dream!

[Soujrnr]

So, we are pondering putting sand in our run. Our run is 6' x 18'. I've read the pros and cons, but wanted to get some "real world" experiences from you fine folks who know SO much more than we do. The girls already ate all of the long grass in the run over the last six weeks that we've had them, and it's now starting to get "mushy" in the run. Drainage is fine, so that's not a problem. I'm just wondering if hay or straw (I forgot which one is best) would be a better idea. We do get plenty of rain here in northeastern Tennessee.

For starters, however, I'm going to build a covered dust bath in the run for the girls, and fill it with some river sand or construction sand (depending on what I can find locally). The plan is to build a box that will have a roof over it along with walls to keep most of the rain out, and then add some DE to the sand as well. The rest of the run will need some attention as well, so I'm looking for ideas.

Happy 4th of July to all of my fellow Americans!!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

.....and it's now starting to get "mushy" in the run. Drainage is fine, so that's not a problem. I'm just wondering if hay or straw (I forgot which one is best) would be a better idea.

Neither. Hay is worse, but the strands of hay and straw mat together as they are walked on and get wet. Cleaning that mess out will break your back, because it doesn't come out in nice neat shovelfuls; you have to tear the mat apart as you go.

Best is wood chips, mulch, or pine shavings. They allow moisture to pass through without holding it in, they allow evaporation, and don't mat together.

And happy 4th to you, too!

 

[Soujrnr]

Neither. Hay is worse, but the strands of hay and straw mat together as they are walked on and get wet. Cleaning that mess out will break your back, because it doesn't come out in nice neat shovelfuls; you have to tear the mat apart as you go.

Best is wood chips, mulch, or pine shavings. They allow moisture to pass through without holding it in, they allow evaporation, and don't mat together.

And happy 4th to you, too!
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Thanks for the info!! My wife actually mentioned using wood chips. We have pine shavings in the coop. Maybe I can just load up on more of those and fill the run. At least I know that's easy to clean, and we can just put it in the compost bin (I think).

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Thanks for the info!! My wife actually mentioned using wood chips. We have pine shavings in the coop. Maybe I can just load up on more of those and fill the run. At least I know that's easy to clean, and we can just put it in the compost bin (I think).

I use pine shavings in my coop, but the run is so very large I can't afford to fill it. I also have no roof over the run. It's just plain dirt. Fair drainage, but there are low spots. So..... when I clean out the coop (deep litter), I scatter it all over the run. Rain, sun and wind take care of the manure, and the chips sink into the dirt floor and decompose. Over the years, I've probably built up the floor of that run by 4-6 inches and it's the richest, blackest dirt you'll ever find.