Concrete Sand In Run?

[Ghosty]

I’ve been using sand in my coops for two years now and I like it ! I clean everyday! However I’m open to hear other options I would like to try the deep litter method but I’m not sure it would be good where I live ? My dilemma is I’m in the woods so when we have summers with a lot of rain and humidity it’s a nightmare! Being shaded nothing dries out with humidity everything is moist ! I have mold issues not in coop but on ground , stumps etc the straw in my nest boxes are moist it’s very difficult so sand stays dry! If anyone can suggest a better way I’m open for other options! Thanks

It sounds like you keep it clean and covered. If you like it, that is all that matters.

 

[CAJUN_CHICK]

The sand will settle down into the gravel, may totally disappear.
Sand doesn't work like shavings.
Shavings, or better yet wood chippings in run, will dry out poops and the carbon in the wood will help break the poops down.
Tho you may be able to sift the poops out of sand, you'll never get it all and eventually the sand and/or gravel will become saturated with pulverized poops and stink when the least bit damp.

Thank you.

 

[Mama fluff]

I should have been a bit more specific. We are either putting down gravel or stepping stones and gravel. Then covering with the sand. I was wondering if the concrete sand could be used like a poop litter instead of pine shavings ect.

Lol I knew what you meant ! I don’t think I would use that in run if it gets wet won’t it harden into cement? I use construction sand fortunately my husband works in a asphalt plant and gets it for me ! If you have a quarry near but you can buy it like you buy mulch by the yard !

 

[kiwi-chick]

I've also read about using sand in the run, not for the poop board, it had to be about 6 inches thick if I recall correctly.

 

[Mama fluff]

Exactly....if it's sifted with a very fine mesh.

I don't...I think most folks who 'like' it have only used it for a few weeks rather than for a year or more.

I’ve been using sand in my coops for two years now and I like it ! I clean everyday! However I’m open to hear other options I would like to try the deep litter method but I’m not sure it would be good where I live ? My dilemma is I’m in the woods so when we have summers with a lot of rain and humidity it’s a nightmare! Being shaded nothing dries out with humidity everything is moist ! I have mold issues not in coop but on ground , stumps etc the straw in my nest boxes are moist it’s very difficult so sand stays dry! If anyone can suggest a better way I’m open for other options! Thanks

 

[tacothechicken]

Id love to use sand but my coops and area would just not do :\ I use cob bedding myself I used to use straw but found that it attracted parasites and pests. The cob is highly absorbent and even if the birds smash it down whith poop all I need to do is take a rake and scoop out the poop pancake to reveal clean bedding heath and then rake once or twice and viola! Good as new. It also doesn't create as much smell or mud as shavings or straw which either breaks down or doesnt break down at a fast enough rate. It dries fast and is only 5$ a bag at my feed store and I only need 2 bags to cover both my coop and run in a 1-2in layer = 5×14ft just a idea + it composted amazingly when I emptied it out!

 

[Mama fluff]

TE="Peepsi, post: 21961344, member: 469200"]I'm 4 months into my experimental sand in both coop and run. I can already see that, although I strove to get the coarsest sand possible, it still has more fines (dust) in it than I would like. My coop and run have become very dusty. I pick up poop every day. I only have four chickens, but the amount of poop they create is staggering....more than I thought. The entire coop and run gets full of poop each day, despite each chicken having 32 sq ft in a coop/run combo that's 128 sq ft total, so I have to pick up poop each day. Sitting through the sand to pick up poop kicks up poop-particle-filled dust, no matter how careful I am.

Once my experimental year is up, I might have to invite @aart to tell me "I told you so," but until then, we'll see!

I can tell you that sand in entire run will NOT work in these situations:
1. The run, or any portion thereof, is not fully covered or is allowed to become wet
2. Your run has less than 30 sq ft per chicken.
3. You have asthma or are immune-compromised.
4. You cannot find sand that is mostly coarse (1 mm particles or larger), and your sand is full of fines/dust.

Hope this helps![/QUOTE]
I do not like when I scoop to clean sand either it’s a cloud of dust not healthy to breath, was thinking of switching to “hemp” in spring? Heard great things about it ! Very minimal dust and very absorbent and lasts a long time ! Has anyone tried this ?

 

[BDutch]

There are many possibilities for a surface in a run. The soil here consists mainley in clay and adobe with a little sand. I have a coop with a small covered run. In there I put a layer of sand and I clean it once a week. The chickens selden poop there. It doesn't get stinkey.

The real run is 15 m2 , not covered and used by 8 small chickens of 500 - 700 grams. When the run was new there was grass. But that was gone quickly. The ground became hard and dirty. Even though I removed the poops twice a week. The drainage was not good. If it's dry and sunny the ground gets very hard. After a few days with rain it gets muddy. A thin layer of sand and digging to solve the problem gave only a short relief.

What I did: First I made several holes with a ground drill and filled these with pebbles for good drainage. I added a lot of organic material. Garden waste, leaves in the fall, herbs and grass in the summer, occasional some straw and wood shavings. I scattered grains in the run, so the chickens scratch a lot. The soil improved slowly.

Now a nice layer of humus has developed and I am no longer taking the poo away. It doesn't stink anymore. And there are plenty of bugs and worms in the ground. Even young grass grows in the run now.

The chickens can free range for a few hours almost every day. If they can't do that, the run probably needs to be a bit larger for a healthy soil.

 

[Miks]

Our chicken palace consists of pavers as the flooring. I leveled the ground and built it over the pavers. The base is built on 8”x2”. I filled the floor with sand and mixed in some diamatous earth. The coop floor also has the same mix. I simply drilled holes in a horse scoop and scoop the sand to sift out the poop. It’s easy and clean as can be! No smells, no flies, and any water seeps through the sand into the ground throu the pavers. The run and coop are covered. I added some pop in clear plastic panes on one side for when the rainy season hits. That way they are protected from the elements. Rain drains quickly. No grit added as they peck the sand. I used play sand as some of the sand that is builder grade may have some dangerous additives. Make sure you just use sand! They dust bathe in the sand and they really love the environment. Every 6-12 months you can replace it. It’s great if you have compost heaps!

 

[Ghosty]

I have sand on top of a layer of gravel in my uncovered run. I'm gonna replace it with wood chips eventually. It gets packed down, and it washes to one end of the run because the run is on a grade. Maybe if the sand was on a level floor, didn't get wet, and was sifted everyday, it would be an ok medium. I really can't say, lol. Aart doesn't like it, but some people use it and like it. I myself am not dedicated enough to clean the coop or run every day, so I doubt sand is for me, lol. It accomplished what I wanted and hardened the soil, so it's time to shovel it out and go to wood chips.