Gravel vs sand in run- Coop completed on New Year's Day!

[Chicklette 1]

What kind of sand are you using? Play sand which is very fine or more coarse sand? I wish someone in the building supply business would post a chart with sand names and their degree of courseness.

 

[ozark hen]

Your coop is awesome. good job. My run is open with cd's flying overhead. ha I am able to close up the flock at night so my setup is a bit different but we use hay in our run.
seeds drop through and sprout very early in spring giving them something green to pick at, plus they have plenty of seeds to scratch for now. Keeps them up off the cold ground and even snow melts through leaving them high and dry. Insects still live under the bed of hay so they also have protein to catch.

Each winter we have to lay more down as it goes into the ground by then and the soil here is very rich. I would love to have a garden here if I didn't have the chickens.

 

[Chicklette 1]

Your run looks great.......nice and high and dry!! I like the idea of the sprouts and insects. I have only used pine needles so far but they have scratched down to the soil in many spots so it still gets muddy. Maybe the straw would cover better at this time of year. Thanks

 

[BooBear]

Chicklette

I did not see where anyone answered you on river sand.

River sand is taken out from rivers and has both fine and course grains in it. It is mix of different textures of the sand and also can have small pebbles in it.
Normally we get this hauled in on a dump truck where I live. Think of it as an all around mix. This is what makes it good to use for the chickens. They love to dust bathe in it and you can use either a fine rake or cat pooper scooper to clean up the chickie poo with. Water will seep through the sand to the bottom so sand is good for moisture control.

Here is a dust bathe tip I got from BYC forums: mix 1 part sand, 1 part dirt, 1 part ash, and sprinkle with DE. Put in dust bathe container and let the chickies have a go.

I did this and they loved it! The ash I got from our smoker as mom always leaves some ash in it to help heat it back up I think. She likes to bbq alot in the good weather.

 

[Chicklette 1]

Thank you BooBear. I am going to Google types of sand now and see what they call each and maybe have a photo of each type. You said that river sand is a mix of textures so it sounds good. I use a dog poop rake and pan for clean-up so I do not have to bend so much and it works great for me on many surfaces. I'll get this all figured out eventually but I do like to research before I do something. I have a corner area framed by 2x4's with play sand and I also add DE and Seven to it. I do not have any access to ash but I had also heard that it is good. When it is really hot here in KY., I wet the sand with the hose and they love cooling off in the wet sand. I periodically have to replace some because they throw it out. I also have a plywood top over it so that they have shade. It's kind of fun working these things out and making everything better for the chickies and us. Thanks again for the come back to my question.

 

[jettgirl24]

I use smaller pea gravel. It's small enough that the chickens can dig around in it. I've had it in for about three months now I think and so far I love it. Between the rain and their digging most of the poop gets washed/dug underneath. When it's dry I can just spray it down with the hose. A quick rake once a week and it's good to go. We're moving soon and I'm debating whether to do gravel or sand at the new house but right now I'm leaning toward the pea gravel again because it's so easy to clean and maintain.

 

[bluebird]

I use a mixture of course sand and paver base sprinkled periodically with DE. Drains well and easy to clean and rake! I also put a layer of pea gravel just under the duckies water tub for better drainage when I dump it.

 

[Turner]

A base of 1" gravel and then river or lake sand on top is great for drainage and cleaning...gravel alone will cause bumblefoot,,not a good thing and makes for hard cleaning. Good Luck!

 

[chezpoulet]

Thanks for all the suggestions- while the gravel I have in the run is rounded, around 1/2-3/4 inch in diameter, I am leaning towards excavating some of it so there is a base layer for drainage and topping it with builder's sand- there is a building supply place down the hill from where I live, so it is handy to stop by on the way home from work. They are willing to sell me gravel and sand by the 5 gallon bucket for a dollar/per bucket- not too cheap, compared to bulk, but cheaper than Home Depot, and I don't have to pay delivery charges or rent a pickup! The guys at the building yard will even fill up my buckets and load them up into my little Ford Focus for me ;-)

The sand I get has bits of small stones and mixed diameter sand, not too fine. I have been putting a tray in the brooder for my chicks, and they love dustbathing in it, and the fact that poop is so easy to pick out from the sand with a kitty litter scoop is another reason why I am leaning towards having sand on top of gravel.

Now if only I know the breed of my 2 mystery chicks- they turned out NOT to be GLW.

 

[BankerJohn]

if you do make the decision to add sand to the gravel, be sure to have some type of a barrier to keep the sand from seeping down into the gravel and filling the voids in the gravel bed. I went to Home Depot/Lowes and bought landscape cloth to layer over the gravel and under sand. THe landscape cloth allows moisture to drain thru but still keeps the sand from filling the voids below.