Got sand? You should!

[kimmerjo]

Thought I would add this here too. I put it on the dyi page also. I use sand in my coop and the kitty litter scoop was getting old so I did this!

I found a small drill bit and a bucket with a handle. It took about 10 minutes to make all the holes. Then I rake and sweep all my coop sand into a pile, shovel it into the bucket (I have only tried filling it about 3 inches at a time ) and shake the bucket ,clean sand falls out and all the yucky stays in the bucket I just dump that into compost. Works for me!

 

[MiniCoop]

Thought I would add this here too. I put it on the dyi page also. I use sand in my coop and the kitty litter scoop was getting old so I did this!

I found a small drill bit and a bucket with a handle. It took about 10 minutes to make all the holes. Then I rake and sweep all my coop sand into a pile, shovel it into the bucket (I have only tried filling it about 3 inches at a time ) and shake the bucket ,clean sand falls out and all the yucky stays in the bucket I just dump that into compost. Works for me!

Great idea! I'm going to do this tomorrow. It sounds alot quicker then the kitty litter scoop. Thank you making a chore easier.

 

[ivan3]

eculver wrote: Ok so we are just starting out have a small coop designed to hold 2-4 hens we only have 2...we have it off the ground because we have 3 large dogs....but do you think sand on the bottom and then keeping straw in the nesting area would be good?

Nice setup. Sand would work fine A cheap, collapsible, camera monopod with a cat litter scoop taped to the base might come in handy for easy cleanup. Place the feeder/waterer up on bricks (for instance) to keep them free of kicked-up sand - also, it might help to place eye hooks in wall behind feeder/waterer and run twisty ties throuh the eyes and around the feeder & waterer to anchor them securely - chooks can't knock them over and one can untwist for cleaning/changing. For larger runs sand won't prevent `smell' if drainage is poor. Our runs are `slanted'. We have large rocks lining `downhill' sides of fencing. This allows us to rake any `washed' sand back up into runs. In the Spring, when the ground thaws, we add garden lime (finely crushed limestone) and the turks and chooks press it down into the underlying mud/clay then more sand is added and all sand from coop/shed is changed out at same time - `old' is simply raked into runs. Base in shed/coop:: 2" of construction/play sand mixed with 1 cup of ADE for every two hundred pounds (for the desiccant value, primarily) over which we place straw and wood chips. Raked daily (as weather permits): black `dots' in sand in pic? Black oil sunflower seed `party'...

 

[Sam3 Abq]

Thought I would add this here too. I put it on the dyi page also. I use sand in my coop and the kitty litter scoop was getting old so I did this! I found a small drill bit and a bucket with a handle. It took about 10 minutes to make all the holes. Then I rake and sweep all my coop sand into a pile, shovel it into the bucket (I have only tried filling it about 3 inches at a time ) and shake the bucket ,clean sand falls out and all the yucky stays in the bucket I just dump that into compost. Works for me!

That is the bomb - ingenious !

 

[smcottrell]

Here's an interesting take I found about what happens when it rains. I'm in the midst of a ton of research before starting my coop, so I have no experience. But this article has persuaded me to use shavings.

http://hanburyhouse.com/my-bad-experience-with-sand-in-the-chicken-run/

 

[kimmerjo]

Thanks ! My husband and other BYC members suggest drilling holes on the sides also so you could spin it and sand will go out the sides also. Going to do that tomorrow

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: I suspect she didn't use nearly enough sand, and what she said about adding sand to clay soils is just totally wrong.

I wouldn't put a lot of faith in her accessment

 

[smcottrell]

Oh boy. Back to the drawing boards.

 

[kuntrygirl]

[quote url="[URL]http://hanburyhouse.com/my-bad-experience-with-sand-in-the-chicken-run/[/URL]"]
[COLOR=333333]Here's an interesting take I found about what happens when it rains. I'm in the midst of a ton of research before starting my coop, so I have no experience. But this article has persuaded me to use shavings.[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR]http://hanburyhouse.com/my-bad-experience-with-sand-in-the-chicken-run/

[COLOR=333333]I suspect she didn't use nearly enough sand, and what she said about adding sand to clay soils is just totally wrong.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]I wouldn't put a lot of faith in her accessment[/COLOR]
[/quote]

x2



Maybe she went wrong by having the sand on concrete and not dirt. My sand is over dirt (the ground).

I have been using sand for almost 2 years and this is the best thing next to breathing. I have not touched the sand in any of the runs for 2 years and I still have no problems. I don't rake anything. I did this on purpose to see how well the sand could live up without touching it. Believe it or not, the chickens and peafowl rake around and move their own poo and turn it over. For anyone who personally knows me and who has been out to my place and has seen my chicken yard and pens, they know that I am meticulous about how my pens look and smell and they know that if any of my pens were below standard that I wouldn't tolerate anything like that. I have about 175 chickens and 9 peas and ducks that roost in the runs as well and the sand has withstood all of them and all of their poop.

Here are some pics of one of my sand runs after 12 inches of rain. Oh how I love sand!!!!!

Pics Of Uncovered Sand Run After Rain (UPDATED AFTER 12 INCHES OF RAIN
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-rain-updated-after-12-inches-of-rain-post-1

I am sand's #1 Fan. I'm a Sand Believer. Sand for Life.

 

[kuntrygirl]

After trying sand in a run (measurements are 28 feet long - 10 feet wide - 8 feet tall) and it worked very well for over a year, we ordered 16 more tons of sand to put in other runs as well as the chicken yard itself. Best investment EVER! And we plan on ordering 20 more tons of sand. If sand didn't work, I would have never ordered 16 more tons of sand with plans to order 20 more tons of sand. Sand ain't cheap and I would never waste my money on something that didn't work. I"m just saying.