Is dirt and sand mixed good for coop run?

[Angelbaby777]

Hi all. Looking for advice on my chicken run substrate. I have dirt and it has been fine. I turn it once or twice a week, but the girls do a great job with that also. I don't pick up the poop, but I wanted to see if adding sand to the dirt is fine? Has anyone tried it?

 

[nuthatched]

Sure, why not?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Good drainage is most important, and then dirt is fine, and especially if it's clay, some sand would be good too.
Adding shavings or wood chips, dried leaves, whatever (not mostly black walnut!) will make a very good run substrate, and you can throw the coop cleanout shavings there too. It will all get turned over by the chickens and turn into very nice compost/ mulch.
And let the chickens do the work for you!
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

Really depends on your climate and exact run set up. In my rainy-9-months-of-the-year climate, with an unroofed run, that would be a stinky mud pit in a matter of months.

If you're not sure, you can always handle it just as you're handling it now, with the awareness that you may need to add some form of litter if it doesn't work out.

 

[Bawkbok]

Yes, we do that. We have a deep litter run floor using compost dirt with mulch and dried leaves. We add sand from construction work in the yard, but not too much, it drains well but doesn't dry easily in our environment. If you need a ratio, I would say ours is 80 dirt / 20 sand.
Given the extreme heat indexes lately, I hose down the run every day now to cool and dampen the dirt in the heat of the day. It helps to cool them down and it's dry again by morning on the surface despite the high humidity. If I feel it's too wet from the puddles I create (which they often stand in), then I simply till it over a few inches deep. The sand helps to maintain the moisture but doesn't turn it into a smelly paste. Use your judgment on ratios, you can always add more sand.