Advise please

[Stace0034]

I am new to havings chickens and on Saturday we put sand in the run. I'm afraid I put the wrong sand down. We put sakrete all purpose sand but it seems very fine and is still dusty. When I looked it up I read it was OK but I'm afraid it will get my girls sick..any advise please...thank you

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had to look this up. Looks like it's a mix of sand and concrete. Looks like it's used to repair cracks in driveways. Sounds like it will harden when wet down. I wouldn't use it for chickens except as a base below another substrate.

 

[ChaosMom]

I am new to havings chickens and on Saturday we put sand in the run. I'm afraid I put the wrong sand down. We put sakrete all purpose sand but it seems very fine and is still dusty. When I looked it up I read it was OK but I'm afraid it will get my girls sick..any advise please...thank you

Hi, welcome to BYC! I’m sorry that you had such an unpleasant surprise!

Was there a specific reason that you wanted sand for your run? From what I understand, it is good in hot, dry climates, but can pose problems elsewhere.

Many of us use “deep litter”, which imitates forest floors (soil, chipped bark, mulch, pine needles etc.), letting any chicken poop sink down and rot, creating wonderfully fertile compost and new soil.

Here’s what my run “flooring” looks like (please excuse my photo-bombing BR Trudy):