Coop sand

[aart]

Nope, the aerator stirs it up, but nothing but stink comes out! The aerator is actually in the bottom of the septic tank.

The run is drying out from all the rain we’ve had the last few days. It’s not usually swampy.

Not sure I've ever heard of vented septic field.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Not sure I've ever heard of vented septic field.

I hadn’t either, but it’s something our county required... It’s just fun to say that I really do have a shit stirrer!

 

[CherMarie]

Love that multi-level roost! I'll be adding that to my "coop dreams"

The Gawkers Must Have Helped...

• Farmgirl1878
• Aug 30, 2018
• 1

Inside of the 8’x10’ coop with two levels of roosts

• Farmgirl1878
• Jun 5, 2018

 

[Justso]

Is the wetness a drainage problem or just a rainy climate?
Standing water puddles or....?
Sand in run, IMO, is much better suited to an arid climate.
Wet, poop saturated(you can never pick it all up) sand reeks!

I use wood chippings, and other dry plant materials, to 'eat' up the poops via cold compost in my run, no stink (even when wet) and no cleaning up of poops ever.

AND leaves in the fall are like gold, I bag them up and spread throughout the winter and spring.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Love that multi-level roost! I'll be adding that to my "coop dreams"

The Gawkers Must Have Helped...

• Farmgirl1878
• Aug 30, 2018
• 1

Inside of the 8’x10’ coop with two levels of roosts

• Farmgirl1878
• Jun 5, 2018

Thanks! The girls love it too!

 

[aart]

AND leaves in the fall are like gold, I bag them up and spread throughout the winter and spring.

That worked well here one year, they were really dry.
Next year not so much, weren't as dry as I thought and molded.

 

[Jamity46]

Check with your local quarry for coarse, washed, natural river sand. The construction sand is crushed rock and is very dusty. The natural sand is made up of smooth rocks of lots of different sizes and is not dusty. Here’s what it should look like.

Natural, coarse river sand

• Farmgirl1878
• Jul 15, 2018

The Gawkers Must Have Helped...

• Farmgirl1878
• Aug 30, 2018
• 1

Inside of the 8’x10’ coop with two levels of roosts

• Farmgirl1878
• Jun 5, 2018

You can buy it by the dump truck load, delivered. I use it in the coop, on the poop boards, in the nest boxes, and in the run and clean it with a kitty litter scoop. I use a mesh wok skimmer utensil for the hard to reach stuff. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000DZXGLW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This looks great. I’m getting my coop ready for winter and was thinking about canging from pine shavings to sand in the coop. I thought it would be easier to clean. I live in northern Illinois and winters can be harsh, do you think sand would be ok(will it keep coop too cold) or should I continue with pins shavings?? Are you in cooler winter climate?

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I’m in Southern Ohio, so we get some bad weather here too. This is my first year to have chickens, so not sure how the sand will be in the cold. That said, sand, as long as it’s dry, should be a lot better than anything else. We plan to wrap the run in plastic, so it should be fine. If not, we can always shovel in some pine shavings or straw.

 

[Mosey2003]

What kind of stone dust? If it's limestone/dolomite, and you have trouble with a wet run, I'd snap that up in a heartbeat. It will dry out your run.

Personally, I detested river sand inside the coop, it was just mucky and gross.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

What kind of stone dust? If it's limestone/dolomite, and you have trouble with a wet run, I'd snap that up in a heartbeat. It will dry out your run.

Personally, I detested river sand inside the coop, it was just mucky and gross.

Huh, mine’s dry as a bone. And the sand and PDZ combination dries out the poop, so I’m only cleaning once a day.