Complaints with Sand

[thomasboyle]

The run is almost 30 sq. feet, and I have five birds. They free range a good amount so the run is just kind of a stand in. Trust me, the sand is not in poor shape because it is overrun with chickens...it is in bad shape because rain, dirt, food, etc that has all accumulated in the sand has kind of gotten mixed in.

I understand that a lot of people have good luck with sand, and that is great to hear, but mine just hasnt worked. It is drained properly, it is plenty deep, it isn't bad sand. It was just not in the cards for me. Something like wood chips will work much better.

Also, for c2chicks - 12.5 sq feet per bird...really? Where did you get that number. This is a forum, so there are a ton of opinions (such as my opinion on sand). A lot of people say a lot of different things. In a residential area, a chicken palace cannot be built, so for five birds I can't have a compound. Trust me, these birds have more than enough room. Standards vary by what people say, but 12.5 sq feet per bird does not sound right. I'm sure you can link an article saying that 10 sq feet is the right size, but I can link one that says 5 sq feet of run space is appropriate. I have read a lot, and that is by far the highest estimate I have ever seen on this forum.

Sand usually works well, but you do have to maintain it. My run is 15x15, covered and has 6 inches of course sand in it. I rake it out every Saturday, getting rid of dried poop, excess food etc. I know a lot of people scoop it out like a kitty litter box, but I don't have time for that. Once a year I scrape out a couple inches and replace it with new sand. As for sq ft per bird, the answer has to do with the condition of the area. The more sq ft per bird you have, the cleaner it will stay. Nature can break down a certain amount of waste, but too much waste in too small an area leads to filthy conditions.

Let us know how the wood chips or dirt does. I had an uncovered dirt run, and it was fine in summer, but miserable in winter and spring. That's when I decided to put a roof over my run and close it in during the winter. Shoveling a coop run was not a task I enjoyed or had time for!

 

[cstronks]

WOW, gorgeous coop...I can only dream. I definitely think I will be covering my run when I do some work over the winter. It will just help keep the elements out. Also, I'm hoping that wood chips or dirt will be better because waste will compost and I can clean it easier. Covering, however, will certainly help the mess.

 

[c2chicks]

Let us know how the wood chips work out for you! When I started "planning", just about everything I read here on BYC said !0'/run, 2-4'/coop BUT...I don't free range, so that makes a big difference. Below is about as "free" as my birds get. Part sand and part pine straw and grass clippings. I only have 3, but they're in here all the time.

 

[GardenFae]

Thanks for posting the downsides of sand! We have heavy clay soil here (although the area I want to put my future coop is looser and loamier due to having been a kitchen garden at one point). My biggest concern with wood chips though is that they'll eventually decay into a heavy, water-holding mess under the run and I'll have to dig them all out and replace them every year or two. Sounds like sand isn't working much better for you, though! I'm glad you're sharing this before I ran into it on my own.

At least I have access to damaged bags of landscaping materials (coarse builder-grade sand, wood chip mulch both dyed and undyed, and various sizes of gravel) through my work so I can get whatever materials I want for the run floor. It's just a matter of figuring out what will work best!

 

[The Lazy L]

...We have heavy clay soil here...

I also have clay soil. So I built the run floor higher then the surrounding ground so the sand could drain. First winter I cover the top of the run with a mouse chewed tarp. Before the second winter tarp was replaced with fiberglass panels.

It's been 19 months and I've hadn't had the need to clean the sand or replace any of it.

 

[cstronks]

I also have clay soil. So I built the run floor higher then the surrounding ground so the sand could drain. First winter I cover the top of the run with a mouse chewed tarp. Before the second winter tarp was replaced with fiberglass panels.

It's been 19 months and I've hadn't had the need to clean the sand or replace any of it.

It has become clear that covering runs keeps sand clean...we get that part. Regardless, the sand is still a pain to deal with. I regularly have to sweep the interior of my coop because it gets tracked in on the chickens feet and I don't want mites living in the combined sand/sawdust mess which has now found its way into my coop.

As for the woodchips, they will decompose, but I have a large garden, and the word compost is music to my ears! Plus, once woodchips begin to turn to soil, you can put them somewhere like a garden or you can use it to fertilize your yard. Tell me, what does one do with roughly half a ton of wet, gross sand...? That's what I thought.

Decision for me is final - sand - OUT . Woodchips - IN

 

[Brucepierce]

I don't know guys I switched over to mason sand this April, before that it was just a dirt run 16x12...stunk to holy hell...I haven't done any maintenance to my run at all...not even rake it...the poop disappears...sometimes my daughter will go in the run and play around and do a little digging...nothing at all...no mess...no poop....no smell. I also deep litter in the coop and that works incredible as well....I turn it once every 2-3-4 weeks and it's also great...I don't think you can go wrong with deep litter if you have your birds turn it for you...good luck..bummer it didn't work for you...the drainage thing might be an issue my run is over a slight down slope??

 

[cstronks]

I'm not sure what it was, but me and one other person that I know around here are completely done with sand, and a few of our friends said they would be "open to other options". Poop doesn't disappear in sand...it breaks down and becomes part of it. You can't see any filth in my sand now - it looks like normal sand that is a little wet, but if you start stirring it around...not good.

 

[GardenFae]

Yeah, covering the run sounds like the eternal fix... but if you aren't going to cover it and you have the garden space to use up all that lovely wood chip/manure compost, what a good solution! Everybody's needs are different and it definitely sounds like sand isn't working for you. I love the idea of a nice clean and neat sand flor in the run but having read some more it doesn't seem like it would work well for me either, (not without more drainage work and a covered run, which isn't in the cards this year). But that's ok - I can get behind the wood chip idea. I'm sure I can find enough garden space to use the old chips... if not I'll just have to make some new veggie beds

 

[crazy nana]

I have 6 hens and 1 rooster and I've been keeping them in their run because of the bitter cold we are experiencing in New England. Their run is covered and about 40 sq. ft. I won't let them out to forage because of predators..my question is if they will get bored and start pecking one another, am wondering if they will be stir crazy?