Laying Gravel and Sand: How much?

[sdsharko]

Is it necessary to put gravel down prior to laying the sand down? I'm in Souther Ca. and my ground is very firm (clay/rock) and does not mudd up very easily, and my coop has decent slope away from it?

 

[turbodog]

If you don't think you need gravel under the sand that's fine. It rains a lot (like right now

) here so we really needed it to help drainage.

 

[CupOJoe42]

I actually found a formula to calculate gravel.

To determine how many tons of gravel you need, multiply L x W x D (all in feet) x 100 / 2000

Conversions for depth:

1" = .083
2" = .167
3" = .250
4" = .333
5" = .417
6" = .500

1 yard = 1.35 tons

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have a sand run but I didn't put any gravel down. I haven't had any problems.

 

[mandelyn]

It took 2 tons of pea gravel to fill our 10x10 duck run 5-6 inches deep. I think I'm at 10 bags of sand now for the 10x8 chicken run and I still need more.

I put garden liner under the gravel to prevent it from sinking into the ground and getting "lost". The dirt in the chicken run was tilled, sand spread on top, tilled again, then 5 more bags of sand. Needs another 10 bags I think to fill it out.

Easy care though... just hose off where the ducks are and kitty scoop where the chickens are. Pine bedding is inside for both... I just grab obvious poo and then stir it up, adding fresh when it looks a little low.

 

[Chinchilla2]

For those that are hoping that they don't need a dump truck delivering a ton or more of sand and gravel, try this ...

Run length in feet X Run width in feet = square footage of run.

Square footage of run X 12 = square inches of run

Square inches of run X depth in inches of the layer you want to make = cubic inches needed for layer in run.

Divide cubic inches needed for layer in run by 12 = cubic feet needed of material

Find those bags of sand and gravel at your favorite hardware supply store (I like Lowes myself).

Bags normally come with cubic feet written somewhere on the bag... buy enough bags to go at least 2 bags over what your math shows ya need.

Worked great here and I had enough left over to make a "physical therapy" run for those babies that are recovering from injuries and illnesses and need a little outdoor time near their friends but aren't quite up to snuff enough to be turned back into the flock.

 

[breezetrees]

Quote:
Please multiply sq ft by 144 for sq inches (12x12=144)

Quote:
Divide cubic inches by 1728 for cubic feet. (12x12x12)

I've found the bags at the hardware store will usually tell you how much they cover too to save some math.

Sorry to be pedantic! Carry on!

 

[LisaAnnW]

I built a 10'x10' combination run/coop a few weeks ago, and since then we've had flooding, so I rushed out to Lowe's to raise the level of my new swamp. Usually I use medium-sized rock and coarse sand, but egg rock was on sale, and desperate times call for desperate measures. It took 35 bags of rocks to raise the entire floor up a couple inches. I'll add the sand once I can get back there with a wheelbarrel. I freshen up the sand in my other pen (10'x6') every six months or so - it takes about eight bags.

Quote:

 

[DawnSuiter]

The Learning Center > How To> section has a nice page on Using Sand in your Coops

 

[Huskeriowa]

As a side note... often times your local quarry can dispatch a truck with the sand you need at a lower cost than buying it from a local retailer.