Issues with sand in run

[aart]

Hey @aart do you ever have a problem with the chips molding? We are in almost a tropical environment because we’re at the bottom of a holler. We’ve got piles of wood chips around the property (we are a 150+ acre hardwood tree farm) but they break down quickly and do get moldy.

Not really.
I do take care to get the outer layer from the pile and spread it thinly(~1-2") in the run.
Adding other dry plant material can help dry out any growth(not all of which are 'bad').

 

[Byrd gal]

I must have gotten the right sand. I scoop it everyday and rake it up a little. I spend 15 minutes a day in my chicken litter box. Not too much to ask as far as maintenance. They do free range when I can get outside.

 

[chickmamato7]

I would love to keep using the sand if it didnt harden over time. Cause in the beginning it was awesome. Just dont know how to make it stay that way.

I think the trick is to scoop the poop & rake it daily. It also needs to be kept dry. If you have moist conditions, you're gonna get compacting and possibly mold.

 

[chickmamato7]

I must have gotten the right sand. I scoop it everyday and rake it up a little. I spend 15 minutes a day in my chicken litter box. Not too much to ask as far as maintenance. They do free range when I can get outside.

Same experience here. I think sand is an awesome base, but for dry coops only! Wet/damp sand is what causes all the issues.

I use all-purpose contractors sand in a dry, covered run and have had no issues with smell, flies, or compacting. I scoop the poop morning, noon and night & rake at least once per day. I also sprinkle a little PDZ around about once per week and add a bag of sand as needed to replace what gets scooped. It's inexpensive & I love how easy it is to keep my coop clean & odor free.

 

[Krugerrand]

I just replied to a new member intro thread with a similar question about sand vs. wood chips.
To me, it's a no brainer. Wood chips all the way!
With sand you have to scoop it to keep it clean. It adds dust to an already dusty environment. It doesn't decompose.
With wood chips, it provides a substrate the birds can scratch through, dust bathe in and it slowly decomposes along with the poop load.
In the over two years I've been running the current setup, I've never cleaned anything out, just add a truck load once a year and rake flat every few months.View attachment 2694015

Is that a covered run? I thought wood chips in the run needed moisture to break down?

 

[3KillerBs]

Is that a covered run? I thought wood chips in the run needed moisture to break down?

Moisture is the primary difference between Deep Bedding and Deep Litter.

If there is no moisture to create a composting action you'll eventually need to change your bedding, but if you do have moisture it will break down.

 

[DobieLover]

Is that a covered run? I thought wood chips in the run needed moisture to break down?

Yes, it's covered. The center stays dry, the edges can get wet from rain/snow blowing in. It composts slowly. I've never removed anything from that run. I just add more wood chips and rake it out occasionally to distribute the dry over the damp areas.

 

[Vicker]

There are different types of sand. The beach or desert sand which is fine and uniform and builders sand which has larger particles. They have different properties. So if some people say sand works for them, find out what kind of sand they use.

 

[aart]

There are different types of sand. The beach or desert sand which is fine and uniform and builders sand which has larger particles. They have different properties. So if some people say sand works for them, find out what kind of sand they use.

Yes, ....and get pics of it, with something for scale(like a quarter) because the names/labels are subjective and/or colloquial.

 

[Raptor Mountain Farm]

I have read several articles about sand and this is my favorite one: https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/sand-chicken-coop-bedding

Right now I have Sweet PDZ on a poop board in one coop with 20 Heritage 6 wk old chicks and one 8 wk old Cornish Cross. It is acting like sand and I scoop it with a cat litter scoop every few days. They are mainly on the floor with pine bedding with the Cornish Cross that they adopted as their mother. This coop has less smell than my other coop that only has pine shavings with 2 hens and twelve 8 wk old Black Australorps. I plan on switching to sand soon.

I used Sweet PDZ stall refresher as a test for sand. I'm in upstate NY and it has been hot and humid up here lately.
Good luck deciding what to do. But I know you need a sand that is medium to course grain and can go through a cat litter scoop. I compared the size of holes and 1/4" hardware cloth is about the same size holes. So something fine will be dusty.