Is there anyone who wishes they HADN'T put sand in the run or coop???

[sotelomary]

I'm not all that crazy about my sand. For some reason it gets really hard, almost like hard pan, and I can't rake it. I have to use a hoe to kind of dig it out and then I smash it with the hoe to break it down. I then can rake it. I've tried raking it with a steel rake but this doesn't work. I think it gets compacted from the 5 hens constantley stepping on it. About half of the coop is soft sand and that part I have no problem raking it smooth.

I guess I don't really regret it. I just wish it didn't get so compacted. I'm not sure what really causes it.

Mary

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thank you all for helping me decide. It is good to go!



Quote:
Hi Dawn, I did manage to find your page and thank you very much. That was fantastic information. I think I will stick to sand in the runs because of the silica issue and breathing it into my lungs. Outside I can just sprinkle with the hose when I need to do alot of work in the run.

Don't the chickens scratch around in it and break it up? I have read some "compacting" issues and wondered about that.

I just hate to have the chickens stand around in mud when it rains and although we dry out quickly I slip around in there.

I made a HUGE mistake of putting hay in the run to sop up the muck. It was great until it absorbed all the water it could and then the water couldn't get through the mat. It was dirty and wet and slippery. And a pain to get out of there.

Well thank you everyone, I am going to put it in there.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
My husband accidentally bought a bag of construction sand when I asked him to pick some up at the store, and the same thing happened with it. It was too fine and when it got wet it sort of turned into something like cement!

This doesn't happen with the "all purpose" sand that we normally use. It's coarser and doesn't compact so much.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Well, I bought sand and I asked for river sand.... I am not sure I think they brought arena sand. Will that be ok? There are 15 yards of it!

 

[Dogfish]

I use a 3 tined rake to till my sand/pea gravel mix. works well.

 

[TwilightMom]

Love the sand. Keeps the smell down too!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thank you! It's great to have all the input good and bad. Seems like good wins and I need to get busy and put it in. It's going to rain!

 

[fawnschickens]

So I have a question about the sand, we are just starting into the chicken thing and am wondering if I should put something down under the sand? We're going to kill off the grass before we add the sand. Should I put something like a weed barrier down so they don't dig down into the dirt?

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Some good advice I received was to dig down a little more than typical and then lay down the landscape fabric. Add some gravel (road mix--whatever) on top of that and then top it with sand. That way everything stays on top, you have drainage and if you need to over periods of time--just add more sand.

My run is so big I am not sure I can get myself to dig any deeper. Trying to talk myself into it LOL! I have the landscape fabric and the rock. Just need the muscle and time.

 

[kathyinmo]

Why are you digging for the sand? Can't you just put the sand on the dirt? I wouldn't put the gravel under the sand myself. They chickens will dig and scratch and then you will have gravel all over the top instead of the sand. The sand would work its way to the bottom (being smaller pieces), I would think. Plus (I think) they could get bumblefoot from the rocks (gravel), couldn't they?

Because the price of sand doubled in a year, I was talked into buying pea gravel. I was told that would work just as well, for half the price. So, I bought a truck load of the pea gravel, and it was not what I expected when it arrived. It was simply road gravel in tiny little pieces. I started putting it in my runs, and have now removed all that I had put in. It was awful. I did not like it at all. Now, I am waiting for my load of sand.

The thing I learned with sand is that you need it to be at least 8 inches deep. Less than that and the poop kinda compacts on top of it. Anyway it did for me.

In my large (40' x 40') run I only had about 4 inches before, but with 8 - 10 inches it is much nicer.

I have never heard of using the landscape cloth before. Hmmmm, I wonder how that works. Is the purpose of that so that the dirt stays below the sand?

Well, it sounds like you have been working very hard, lady! Good luck with your project!