Anyone use SAND in the run/coop

[sab]

My run is 5 ft x 25 ft. My hubby ordered 6 TONS of sand today..... think maybe he over did it??? I think so.... what to do with all that sand?? He says he's going to pile it up by the coop for future use - covering it with a tarp. I sure hope sand handles weather well.... this should be interesting....

 

[Kudzu]

You got a smart hubby, its nice to be able to add a little sand now and then.

 

[turbodog]

Quote:
I don't think there's enough difference to tell really. One type may be a tad courser than another, but they'll all do the job.

 

[flitter]

No one has come right out and said it but... if you put sand down in the summer and keep it clean, when it snows and freezes in the winter and you can't keep it clean, what do you have in the spring? Smelly muck that has to be removed or will it still be good for drainage? Sand sounds as if it would be great for runs and drainage but not where there is a cold (below freezing) temperature and snow cover. I hope someone disagrees with that statement because I really want to find a way to improve my run drainage! I don't want to dig out tons of sand every year, however.

 

[DawnSuiter]

I don't think folks should use sand where there isn't a roof. Poopy sand IS AWFUL.

Sand isn't ideal for drainage, you should have it on a drainage base of gravel or rock, or if your lucky just a place that drains well.

That said, it shouldn't freeze, you should still be able to clean it in the winter months. If you plan to have it piled up with snow, I would suggest an alternate wintertime surface. Like, sprinkle bug control, throw down a tarp over the sand and use straw for the winter.

 

[CarolynF]

I can attest to the truth of what Dawn just said! I put sand in the run when I built it last spring. It worked great all summer and fall. Easy, easy, easy. I thought there was enough of a slope to the ground to handle any run-off. But the girls spent those months scratching and digging to make it more level! hahaha The sand needs to be dry to be most effective.

When the winter rains came, as they do in the Pacific NW, I was really unprepared. My run was only partially covered. It's narrow and long rather than a big square, which meant the rain blew in easily. I bought a clear tarp which helped, but not enough to keep the ground (sand) dry. To top it off, I don't have the coarse sand Dawn recommends, it's from a landscaping company but it's fine and compacts when wet. When we got heavy rain for several days on end, it was a mess, I wasn't able to use the litter scoop easily, so the poop mixed with the overly wet sand and it all compacted. And it smelled bad, too. I ended up scooping a lot of it out and replacing it with dry sand I'd had left over. I did that 2 - 3 times. For now I break up the compacted sand every day as I'm cleaning so it will dry out & air out as much as possible before the next rainy day. (The girls tend to stomp down certain areas, so those are really the only spots I have to break up.) Keeping it loosened every day makes cleaning much easier.

This summer I'll make changes. The clear tarp will be replaced with a more durable material and extended to keep the run drier. And I'll be looking for sand that's coarser and sharper so it will drain better.

The sand inside the coop has been perfect! Dry and super easy to keep clean. I love it!

 

[geeo1]

I am a newbie and I have no idea what is de?

 

[mcjessen]

I can attest to the truth of what Dawn just said! I put sand in the run when I built it last spring. It worked great all summer and fall. Easy, easy, easy. I thought there was enough of a slope to the ground to handle any run-off. But the girls spent those months scratching and digging to make it more level! hahaha The sand needs to be dry to be most effective.

When the winter rains came, as they do in the Pacific NW, I was really unprepared. My run was only partially covered. It's narrow and long rather than a big square, which meant the rain blew in easily. I bought a clear tarp which helped, but not enough to keep the ground (sand) dry. To top it off, I don't have the coarse sand Dawn recommends, it's from a landscaping company but it's fine and compacts when wet. When we got heavy rain for several days on end, it was a mess, I wasn't able to use the litter scoop easily, so the poop mixed with the overly wet sand and it all compacted. And it smelled bad, too. I ended up scooping a lot of it out and replacing it with dry sand I'd had left over. I did that 2 - 3 times. For now I break up the compacted sand every day as I'm cleaning so it will dry out & air out as much as possible before the next rainy day. (The girls tend to stomp down certain areas, so those are really the only spots I have to break up.) Keeping it loosened every day makes cleaning much easier.

This summer I'll make changes. The clear tarp will be replaced with a more durable material and extended to keep the run drier. And I'll be looking for sand that's coarser and sharper so it will drain better.

The sand inside the coop has been perfect! Dry and super easy to keep clean. I love it!

I use pine shavings in the coop and have been happy with that. I have sand in my 4 x 10 run right now. I really liked the sand in the Spring, Summer and Fall. It's easy to sift out poop and easy to add to. However, like Carolyn, I found winter was a different story. Because of our wet weather over the winter, the sand has compacted to the point the girls can barely scratch it and have resorted to bully each other because they are bored. I shoveled up a couple layers of poop and sand last month that had finally thawed and man, did it stink! I don't know what I'm going to do next winter but we are expanding the run this weekend. The new area is mostly gravel and will include the area with the current run sand. We'll need to shovel down to dirt so the girls don't hurt their feet on the gravel and I have some leaves left over from fall, so I plan on putting that down as well. I may or may not put hay down too. There are good and bad sides to sand but for the most part I was happy with it. Hopefully it will dry out soon and I can break it up so it doesn't smell so bad.

 

[Aeropennchick]

I am a newbie and I have no idea what is de?

DE is Diatomaceous Earth - I have not used it yet (my chickies are only five weeks) but from what I gather, it is a dirt like material that you put either in the coop or the run to help with odor and mite control. Anyone else care to comment on it?

If you do a search for "Diatomaceous Earth" you will find some good threads discussing it.

 

[chicks4erin]

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.

I just read through the 15 pages of this discussion and no one ever really answered the question of whether sand would be okay in a run in harsh winter? Run would be covered so not so much a wet issue as cold/freezing. Anyone??