Is a sand floor in a run better than grass?

[crazyhen]

I vote lots of sand to raise the water table there. Your chickens will have feet trouble with wet footing all the time. Is there a way to ditch the area? Then build the sand area high?. The drainage is far more important than the grass. Later' each day just pull up some hills of grass and throw it in the run. Or when you mow get the mowings in there. Vegetables are also a nice diversion. I bought a flock block the other week and boy do they love it too. The grass there would not last anyway. My 9 chickens cleared a 50x12 foot area in under 3 months. It had been grass forever and well established. In the fall give them some leaves to scratch in etc. Gloria Jean

 

[Malou-La-Croix]

Yes I read that article too. Such a bummer. As much as I want to get proactive I'm probably better off just keeping a low profile. My girls are very quiet and my yard is private with lots of shrubs, but I am half a mile from the courthouse! It just makes me SO mad, with all the obnoxious dogs in my area making so much noise and stinking up the sidewalks. Don't get me wrong I love dogs and have one, but you know what i mean!

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

Quote:
WOW on the flock block!!?? I had never heard of one and I just looked them up online. That is very cool!! I'll have to get one of those. Luckily we still have a portable hoop run so I can stick the girls in the hoop run on a nice patch of grass a few times a week if I want.

Thanks to all for the reality check on the grass. Point taken. Grass wouldn't last. I am officially off my grass kick. The hubby and I will buy a trailer-full of sand and dump it in the run. I assume it will need to be about 4 inches deep to keep the flooding at bay.

Malou-La-Croix - that's funny you live so close to the courthouse with your secret brood! It is a shame the negative thoughts people have about a handful of backyard chickens when you can have a houseful of pitbulls and nobody blinks an eye. Not that I'm picking on pitbulls... just sayin'. My chickens are really quiet considering and they have never woken me up by low ba-gawking unlike my neighbor's dogs who have woken us up by loud barking at 6 a.m. Our own dog is louder than our chickens and stinkier too - LOL.

Thanks again everyone!!!!!

 

[edb]

WOW!!!!, One inch of standing water????? Have you thought of raising ducks rather than chickens?