How to optimize a very sandy run

[Ragfrey]

Can you take a picture of the smooth river gravel, with a object in the picture, to make a measured comparison?

And keep us updated on how that works out for you.

I am almost finished with my building project and will order chicks within the month

 

[LawrenceDuLac]

I would not do this^^^ @LawrenceDuLac
The space between the stones will gather poop and the water flowing thru them will crate as much if not more 'stink' than the sand....
.....and they will be much more difficult to remove.

Hmmm, I see your point. How would you suggest I handle this? Do you recommend swapping out sand and maybe putting a layer of hay over it to absorb some moisture and raking it out every couple days? We’ve had like 5 days of rain and it’s

Can you take a picture of the smooth river gravel, with a object in the picture, to make a measured comparison?

And keep us updated on how that works out for you.

I am almost finished with my building project and will order chicks within the month

Not that I’m pushing a produc- but Vigoro, sold by Home Depot has two gravels that I had been considering. I had thought to run a drain pipe under the gravel and when the birds were locked in for the night- spraying the gravel down with a hose. But now I’m not so sure.

 

[aart]

Hmmm, I see your point. How would you suggest I handle this? Do you recommend swapping out sand and maybe putting a layer of hay over it to absorb some moisture and raking it out every couple days? We’ve had like 5 days of rain and it’s

IMO coarse wood chippings from a tree trimmer work the best, no cleaning ever as the wood will decompose the poops. They can be hard to get and you'd need a place to store the huge pile they drop off so you can add thin layers to run as needed.
If your run holds standing water, no type of bedding will cure that.

Seeing your run and knowing how many birds you have there would help.
Also.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[LawrenceDuLac]

IMO coarse wood chippings from a tree trimmer work the best, no cleaning ever as the wood will decompose the poops. They can be hard to get and you'd need a place to store the huge pile they drop off so you can add thin layers to run as needed.
If your run holds standing water, no type of bedding will cure that.

Seeing your run and knowing how many birds you have there would help.
Also.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 3560278

....wood chips. Never considered it. It's natural, light, breathes and decomposes. Kinda sounds like a win-win. Definitely worth giving it a try. I constantly see wood chippers around. Thank for the suggestion!
As far as my little operation of 2 months goes- it's a raised coop, approximately 3.5' x 4' x 3'. The run itself is 7' x 4' x 4'. I plan on extending the run along a wall behind my trees and raised garden. That would add another 20' of length for them to forage
along.

 

[Ragfrey]

A “DuLac” in NY?
You have to be a transplant?

 

[LawrenceDuLac]

A “DuLac” in NY?
You have to be a transplant?

lol. Nope, I'm a native New Yorker.

 

[aart]

As far as my little operation of 2 months goes- it's a raised coop, approximately 3.5' x 4' x 3'. The run itself is 7' x 4' x 4'. I plan on extending the run along a wall behind my trees and raised garden. That would add another 20' of length for them to forage
along.

You're gonna need a bigger coop too come winter.

 

[Bac2wild]

Great information!!


So do you use a poop scooper to remove the chicken droppings that you rake in the sand with the barn lime?

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.

 

[mossyoakpro]

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.

Sand flea rake? Is that the technical term for it? Or just something the locals call it? I want to look for one if that's the name for it?? Sounds like a great thing for cleaning....

 

[Bac2wild]

Sand flea rake? Is that the technical term for it? Or just something the locals call it? I want to look for one if that's the name for it?? Sounds like a great thing for cleaning....

just search

Sand flea rake

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