Gravel or sand?

[Byrd gal]

I have river sand in my run. I love it no muddy feet no dirty eggs.I haven't had a smell issue. I scoop the poo and add sand as necessary.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ok so the general consensus here is that fine course gravel/river sand is the best option?

Uh, well, that depends. Sand works great for some, and is a disaster for others. Deep litter works great for some, others hate it. Any reason you're only considering sand or gravel? Deep litter for me is free (as I source the materials from my own yard), practically maintenance free, and perfect for drainage as I not only get a lot of rain, but my property also has a lot of water around and under it.

Where do you live (general region/state is fine)? Is there any drainage issue at the location of the run? If there's drainage issue, that needs to be resolved as no litter works well if wet all the time.

 

[alexis187]

I'm in central NC and our backyard is constantly muddy from all the clay in the dirt here. I have tried the deep litter method but with all the muggy heat we have in the summer it smells and attracts flies so I thought I'd try something new. Plus sand and/or gravel would just look nicer and cleaner so that's why I'm considering it..I've just seen so many conflicting posts online so thought I'd ask here for advice from folks who've used sand and/or gravel before. It's possible there's a drainage issue?

 

[MixedFlock23]

Last year I put agricultural lime in my run (only netting as a roof, so it gets rain). We also have heavy clay soil. It eliminated the mud and keeps smells way down too. I put it down about 2-3” thick. Ag lime is safe; hydrated lime is caustic. I bought it directly from a rock/sand delivery place for a few dollars. (I filled all 7 of my five gallon buckets.)

 

[aart]

It's possible there's a drainage issue?

If there is, no bedding will fix it.
Get any drainage issues cleared up first.
Dig trenches to keep runoff out and for any standing water drain away from chicken areas.

Both sand and gravel will gather pulverized poops and make it stink to high heaven.
Good wood chipping bedding will break down poops to eliminate odors.

 

[NguyenjaStars]

@alexis187 I use a pond liner as a barrier. If the ground is wet, this will keep the bedding dry in a roofed area. Best, only costs $25 for 10x20 and no trench digging or concrete pouring! For bedding I use all purpose construction sand (coarse sand) with zeolite (neutralize ammonia) and diatemaceous earth (prevents mites). construction sand is under $5 for 60# a hardware store, even cheaper from landscape supply. Zeolite cost <$20 for 50# if you get it from a pool supply or artificial turf supply. If you get it from a pet supply or hardware store, they sell it $20+ for 5#. I ran out of zeolite and the turf warehouse is inconvenient to me so I am trying out Dry Stall which is a Pumice volcanic rock similar to zeolite that I can get at the feed store. (Stall Dry is DE + clay which might be safer in this form than powdered DE.)