How to optimize a very sandy run

[mossyoakpro]

just search

of course the "sand fleas" are mole crabs but that term will bring up more choices than you'll want to look through. LOL

Cool!! Thanks!

 

[Bac2wild]

Mine is similar to this simple design but you can go as extravagant as you want to it seems.

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/...3Kjb18PAOQZEYxjTgVi9MPzn-BtqQ2WUEBsVMwIGpjXZY

 

[Ragfrey]

Yes, everything I am reading says that lots of people love their coops/run being sand. Very easy to clean, no smell, and it drains well. Key thing here is that it needs to be covered so the rain does not pack it down and hardened it during bad weather.

I wonder the difference between the maintenance and efficiency of sand vs wood shavings deep litter method is???

Maybe I will start a new post hoping members will add some comparative expertise.

 

[LawrenceDuLac]

Yes, everything I am reading says that lots of people love their coops/run being sand. Very easy to clean, no smell, and it drains well. Key thing here is that it needs to be covered so the rain does not pack it down and hardened it during bad weather.

I wonder the difference between the maintenance and efficiency of sand vs wood shavings deep litter method is???

Maybe I will start a new post hoping members will add some comparative expertise.

It’s been a couple days now that I switched over from sand to wood chips. From my limited experience I found the sand, whether wet or dry got everywhere. Chicken scat immediately got pounded down into it, and the smell got out of hand. Drainage would probably been better had it been over a bed of gravel- but that wasn’t my case. After a week of rain- I was at wits end. I could get nauseous from the stench when the wind blew towards the house…. and the run was 100’ from the house.
I ended up raking and shoveling out the sand, scat and mud. I put down a layer of pulverized limestone which effectively cut the odor almost immediately. It was amazing. I then put it a layer of wood chips which absoluteply sealed the deal for me. I think it was Aart that first mentioned it to me. (If not, my apologies- but I want you to know I was paying attention). Pure genius.
The odor is gone. The birds are dry, clean- and I’m sure are happier not standing in feces ridden mud. I’m going to watch it and rake it out and repeat in intervals of 10 days and go from there. I can entertain on my back deck again!

I’m going shrink my flock down to 8 hens. ….next up will be to clip some flight feathers. My adolescent cockerel tried to fly up onto my shed for that iconic pose at the end of the day after he and the flock busted out of the coop while I was making adjustments on the door.

 

[RitzvilleHen]

My entire run is sand too...It is much easier to keep clean. About once a week I let the fluffers out to do their free range excursion, close the door(or they'll come be nosey) and spread barn lime in the entire enclosure....then I rake that in and I don't have any smell whatsoever. My coop is fairly close to my house so having a smell is not an option for me. All of mine seem to be happy and healthy!!

What is amazing to me is after I rake the entire run and let the chickens back in....they will walk on every single inch of that thing...even the corners!! Guess they are looking for something??

 

[RitzvilleHen]

Do you have your feeder in your sand run? If so, what kind of feeder do you use? We have the standard galvanized feeder, and there is SO much wasted feed now, mixed with the sand. I have no idea how to clean that up, other than removing all the sand. The kitty litter pick-er-upper just allows the feed to filter through along with the sand. Will the chickens eventually clean it up? We've had them 2 months now, and re-evaluating everything. Especially the feeder. Please help!

 

[mossyoakpro]

Do you have your feeder in your sand run? If so, what kind of feeder do you use? We have the standard galvanized feeder, and there is SO much wasted feed now, mixed with the sand. I have no idea how to clean that up, other than removing all the sand. The kitty litter pick-er-upper just allows the feed to filter through along with the sand. Will the chickens eventually clean it up? We've had them 2 months now, and re-evaluating everything. Especially the feeder. Please help!

I had a little waste when I was feeding crumbles but they would eventually clean it up....I've since gone to pellets and I have no waste. I have my feeders hung high enough that they can feed but they don't seem to be able to rake it out now.

 

[BonnieBlue]

I use a sand flea rake - "beach fisherman equipment" - to collect the large pieces once in a while and occasionally spread some lime on my sandy open air coop floor. We always made them ourselves, but now-a-days you can also buy them. I use to make mine with 1/2 inch hardware cloth to only get larger sizes, but a lot of the commercial ones seem to have 1/4 inch. mine also has a bend in the handle to use standing straighter up.

I have an old hay fork that I wired 1/4 inch hardware cloth to, for cleaning my run, which is sand. The run is covered, so as long as it is not an area the rain has blown into, it is great for cleaning.