Have been using sand in the run for 3 mons..now what?

[BayouPoules]

This is an interesting thread for us,.. we are working on a coop/run but after the last couple of weeks of non stop rain,.. watching the flood go through our little swamp of a yard , decided we need more dirt. We had already built up the foundation with what they call sandy clay,.. sand mixed with southern red clay,.. but what is construction sand? It sounds like what we need,.. and thanks MaKettle for the thread because we were thinking of doing the same thing with the gravel! You saved us!
Our run will be 1/2 covered 1/2 open.

 

[kingpartyof5]

We actually used rocks for a rock garden and didn't use the sand. When building the coop, we turned it over and attached hardware cloth to the underside- for protection and built in drainage. Then I filled the run with rocks. Now, all I have to do is spray down the rocks with the hose once a week. Daily, I toss some seed out for the peeps and they turn the rocks and keep it looking okay on their own. This has also added another source of security from night time predators, since they cannot dig their way in.

 

[MaKettle]

I thought I would put some pics up of my set up:

Here are the chickens on their fresh, newly placed sand:

Here we have just a few days later & you can already see the rocks coming up through the sand:

 

[Mtn Cur]

BayouPoules- construction sand is mixed with cement to make mortar for laying brick and block.

 

[moetrout]

I think the construction sand they are referring to is more corse than play sand. In Michigan i think they call it masonry sand. Being more corse it should drain really well and not pack down as much as play sand. Masonry sand is often used to fill the cracks between brick pavers.

 

[MaKettle]

Bayou Poules,

From what I understand, there are several types of sand available at the home improvement stores, like Home Depot. Depending on how big your run/coop is, you may want to look into buying your stuff from a quarry, which can deliver 1/2 or 1 ton for really cheap. Its MUCH cheaper than buying it buy the bag. This wasn't an option for me, as I have a small run, so I didn't need that much sand & don't have a place to keep the leftovers. I am living in the city & keeping my birds illegally.

 

[joebryant]

See My BYC Page for photos.
If I were you, I wouldn't change anything, but I would not have used play sand. I don't have gravel under my "construction" sand in my run. I have NEVER scooped out poo in three years, only occasionally a large piece from a broody. All I do is occasionally spread food grade diatomaceous earth over it. Once a year I take a shovel and turn it over deeply; otherwise, the chickens turn it when I scatter bird seed over it. It's spotless after a hard rain.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I wanted good drainage so I dug out all my pens about 12" deep. Where I keep my waterer-I dug down 18" and added 6" of road mix (large gravel) then topped it with construction sand (that created a type of drain field for the extra water to go that I dump out every day).

I bought 16 yards of it, but not sure if that is a ton or two...

I have a light metal rake that I go in and rake feathers when it gets too much for me to look at. Especially when they molt. I like it to look clean. I do get stuff that looks like poo on top but the chickens scratch it up so much that I rarely have much of anything except feathers when I rake.

What I do get I either compost or throw it out into the garden area to be plowed in.

I get a few places that want to compact but I just go in there with my boots and kick the heck out of them when I want to let a little frustration out, LOL Works great!

The real test will come this winter when I see if the chickens are a sorry looking mess like last year and the mud.

 

[MaKettle]

Thanks for the pictures Joe...I'm extremely jealous of your setup...how completely amazing & so seamlessly streamlined with your home! If my suburb will ever change the chicken ordinance, I would like to have something bigger & more elaborate than what we have now...Do you find that the DE keeps your smell down? I haven't had too much of any kinds of smells or bugs...but maybe it will keep things on the cleaner side..

Thanks to everyone for the advice...to get rid of the gravel, I think I am going to dig it all out & start again with about a foot of construction grade sand...

 

[jomercer]

In central Maryland I can (easily) get washed concrete sand, coarse with some pebbles in it, or washed masonry sand, with no pebbles.

One ton, delivered, from one source I've recently called is just under $125--not "dirt cheap!"

A ton will cover a 5'x6' area about 6 inches deep.