i have a question about sand...

[6henslvr]

hi. I would love to put sand in my run for my girls...i v'e heard it is really good to use and i know my chickens will love it. But where i live it gets VERY windy and i'm afraid it will blow away. If anyone has sand and wind id love your input so i know if i should get it or not, thanks!

 

[fried green eggs]

I put course sand in my runs and it also gives them natural grit bc it has small stones in it. Fine sand will blow but this stuff is heavier. My hens love it : )

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Put boards around the run to build up the sides lie a box, and most of your sand will stay inside

5/4 X 6 "deck" boards work great, and will make it about 6-7" deep

 

[chfite]

I used river sand, which is coarser then typical builders sand. I found that my chickens dug around the perimeter of the run, throwing the sand further into the run. My run has a trench around the inside where the chickens moved the sand into the run. So I haven't lost any sand.

Chris

 

[6henslvr]

okay, thanks for your answers! I actually already have the boards you were talking about. where could i get the river sand (besides the river!) or course sand? I was planning on getting my sand from timberland mulch or hilltop mulch but i don't know if they'd have that kind or not...?

 

[fried green eggs]

Look on craigslist Landscape Companies or the Yellow Pages under Sand & Gravel. Tell them you want Coarse River Sand and if you tell them how big of a area you want to cover and how deep you want it to be - they can figure out how many yards to bring you. They sell it by the cubic yard ( much much cheaper than bags from Lowes) They will bring it in with a dump truck and then you get the fun of hauling it into you pens.