Issues with run

[LoriCx3sons]

I have been using sand in my coop and run and am having some issues. It’s great in the coop and makes clean up easy. But it is turning hard as concrete in the run due to constant rain and I have seen hard clumps on my girls bottoms. Any suggestions for materials in the run or how I can prevent the girls bums from being caked in hard sand clumps? I cut the feathers already but it’s a never ending issue. Now I’m finding eggs on the ground with poop instead of in their nesting boxes.

 

[DobieLover]

Sand works in climates where the soil is already sandy and it works better if the run has a solid roof over it so it doesn't get wet.

I personally am not a fan of sand as everything available to me in this area is extremely dusty. What many other members use are wood chips or any other dry organic material. I happen to be able to get wood chips for free at the local municipalities so that works very well for me. I keep about a 2 to 6 in layer of wood chips that the birds love to scratch through, dig holes in for dust baths and scratch around in looking for critters that come up from the soil beneath. I've never cleaned the run. I simply rake it out from time to time to level out the wood chips as the poop slowly cold composts in that litter.

 

[aart]

I swear by coarse wood chippings from a tree trimmer, I'm lucky that I have lots of land to store the huge pile you get.

 

[triciayoung]

Hello: I use pine needles and dirt (not sand) in my runs. I have a lot of pine needles so it works for me.

 

[McGill]

I would definitely take the sand out and start over with something else. We really like the wood pellet bedding.

 

[3KillerBs]

Sand only works well when kept absolutely dry and scooped daily.

I use any dry organic material that I can readily access:

Wood chips, wood shavings, straw, lawn and garden waste, shredded paper, pelleted horse bedding, etc. are common options. Some regions have locally-abundant bedding options such as pine straw here in the US southeast, fall leaves seasonally in temperate zones, rice hulls, ground corncobs, ....

Coarse wood chips, as @aart said, are often considered the gold standard for the control of mud and odor. They're the longest-lasting bedding.

But if you want quicker compost then non-wood options are better.

I *personally* like a mix of multiple different kinds of material. I think that a mix maximizes the best qualities of each better while minimizing the drawbacks.

 

[David61]

tree service wood chips. The chips only last me 4-5 months before i have to add more chips. &ts a biogenerator so the more chickens per sqft the fastrer the chips will get eaten. It makes great garden soil'

 

[3KillerBs]

tree service wood chips. The chips only last me 4-5 months before i have to add more chips. &ts a biogenerator so the more chickens per sqft the fastrer the chips will get eaten. It makes great garden soil'View attachment 3537584

I should have mentioned that you do get compost from wood chips a lot faster in a hot, wet climate.

 

[perkolator]

If moving over to organic material I'd leave the sand in place, it will mix in and be fine. Add some chicken scratch to encourage digging down and breaking up the clumps. Occasionally water it if it's super dry to help penetrate the clumps, to encourage bugs and worms, and promote decomposition, etc.

I use mainly arborist wood chips, but also mix in some shavings, leaves, grass clippings and other yard waste. I harvest the bedding from my coop area and try to get it hot in my compost pile for a little bit before using it somewhere in the garden. This is not done composting yet but it ends up some nice stuff when it's done!
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