Sand in the Run?

[MemesChicks]

Thanks for this info. I'm working on my coop clean out this weekend, and I'm going to follow you on the sand in coop poop trays.

Thanks!

 

[MemesChicks]

Girls are loving the sand now. I hide scratch and treats in it. It's easy to clean up, and it doesn't smell. I cleaned out the poop trays in the coop, and it was so easy!

I'm going to add a few more bags of sand, and some grit to the mix to build it up. Thanks for all of the great tips!

 

[aggiemae]

I have coarse sand in the part of the run under the coop and also use about an inch of "Stall Dry" (volcanic sand) on the floor of the coop. It takes about one minute a day to clean up after six hens using a strainer and a cat litter scoop. They don't seem to jump off the roosts until they know I am coming and seldom step in the overnight poop which I scoop up right after I let the ladies out in the morning. They only go into the coop to lay and never get poop in the next boxes.

The hens are out by 7:15 and go back in right as sunset. I don't leave any food in the coop as it could attract rodents and (so far) the hens don't seem particularly hungry in the morning. A weeks or so ago as the days are getting shorter, I notice that they were all heading right for the water in the morning and taking long drinks so I did put in a small waterer inside

The hens free range all day now but I think they will spend more time in the covered run once we start working on the yard which has been neglected for 30 years, I have crushed filbert shells from the nut processing plant that I plan to use for the rest of the outdoor run since it's covered because I was thinking that having all sand would be cold (and boring) in the winter, but if the filbert shells don't work out I will rake them out and replace them with sand.

 

[jak2002003]

Its the best thing I ever added to my chickens run - apart from the chickens that is!

After the ate all the grass the area was just dirt. When it rained it would get muddy and the chickens would also get very dirty, then go in to roost and make everything inside muddy too.

At first I added some sand, but it was too fine, and it trapped the moisture and make the run smell - something that had never happened before.

So I took it out and added a course sand. That is perfect. It drains away quickly, there is no smell, the chickens love scratching about in it and eating some natural grit.

Also I have noticed the chickens feet are very soft now and the claws are kept shorter as they scratch about in it.

I do not it in the coop, only in the run.

 

[nbchickfarming]

how deep is everyone keeping the sand?

we just had an unusual amount rain-hail-strong winds- all week and i am having some issues with water standing in the backyard. Seemed like 4- 6 inches of sand worked well our first trial but after 4-5 months it started to smell (after week of large amt. rain) replaced it with 2-3inches of sand no smell now but a little messy. my run is covered but wind blows water in and i have concrete around the run. Its the rough kind of sand that my family uses in the dairy barn.

also how is everyone cleaning it ?

 

[aggiemae]

The reason your sand gets stinky is anaerobic bacteria in the soil. This is very common with heavy /clay soil and the sand layer reduces the oxygen in the soil even more. Tilling in (non renewable) peat moss or (renewable) coco coir or a few times a year will help, especially if you can dry out the soil. Tilling in the sand will make it worse. You can relocate the coop to higher ground or use mulch instead of sand. We are using crushed filbert (nut) shells this year.

We dug a 18" deep trench around the perimeter of our shed and filled it with rocks and gravel, but it only takes a few years to the silt to return and soil in the area is starting to be saturated in the winter again.

We used a product (enzyme?) to treat the stinky soil where water dumps out of our sump pump into the yard and it worked but I can't find it on the internet now., if I find it I will post the name later.

 

[nbchickfarming]

2 days of sun and no more smell- sand is dry again

. thanks for enzyme tip, ill check into it.
we need to pour a concrete pad foundation- currently coop setting on a perimeter of blocks with clay soil ground under the sand.
keeping sand for sure,we just need to fix drainage and maybe add a gutter.LOL- DH will love that! (this is a old picture but you get the idea..)

 

[aggiemae]

Gutters will be very helpful, we have a rain barrel but it fills up pretty quickly so we ran the run off hose (underground) into the dry areas of the yard.

 

[kyckling66]

Hi Everyone, this may sound like a dumb question, but I'm new to chickens. My outside run is exposed soil and getting muddy, and I'm considering putting down sand. I've read all the comments above and it seems like the right way to go, but I'm concerned about the girls not having soil to give themselves dust baths in. Is that a valid concern?

 

[c2chicks]

Mine dust bathe in the sand, but if you wanted dirt--you could put in a litter box that has some dirt in it. Maybe mix in a little diatomaceous earth (DE) to keep them happy. I love the sand in my run. It's frozen now, but they scratch through it anyway; ever optimistic that they will find a bug or two.