Natural sand run, any concerns?

[Lumenflower]

I live in the hot dusty southwestern US, and the soil is incredibly sandy. I've heard sand can be great for keeping runs clean, but it seems like this is usually referring to clean imported sand.

I'm wondering if I'm good to just introduce chickens to it or if there's concern of them eating things they shouldn't and I need to put wood chips or playground sand down on top.

My specific concern is that my yard is littered with old crushed up snail shells and it seems like excess calcium is dangerous for young chicks and roosters?

Here's a photo, thanks for reading!

 

[R2elk]

I live in the hot dusty southwestern US, and the soil is incredibly sandy. I've heard sand can be great for keeping runs clean, but it seems like this is usually referring to clean imported sand.

I'm wondering if I'm good to just introduce chickens to it or if there's concern of them eating things they shouldn't and I need to put wood chips or playground sand down on top.

My specific concern is that my yard is littered with old crushed up snail shells and it seems like excess calcium is dangerous for young chicks and roosters?

Here's a photo, thanks for reading!

I live on a sand dune so everywhere my poultry goes is on sand. They have done fine. The thing about sand is that if you have enough water, it will grow anything so I now have trees and grass where I originally just had sand, prickly pear and sagebrush.

 

[micstrachan]

How much rain do you get in the winter? I spent months sifting our rocks and other debris and adding sand to a run with the grand idea of easily sifting poop only to discover I didn’t like how it behaved in the winter. Now I add rice hulls, pine shavings and sticks of various sizes to the run, which also help decompose the poop.
Having said that, I don’t think there’s any danger in it.

 

[R2elk]

How much rain do you get in the winter? I spent months sifting our rocks and other debris and adding sand to a run with the grand idea of easily sifting poop only to discover I didn’t like how it behaved in the winter. Now I add rice hulls, pine shavings and sticks of various sizes to the run, which also help decompose the poop.
Having said that, I don’t think there’s any danger in it.

I don't get any rain in the winter but suspect that @Lumenflower does get some. I did get 63" of snow this past winter.

I don't do anything about the droppings in the run which is 50'x100'. They break down over time thus adding a little organic matter to the sand.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

How much rain do you get in the winter? I spent months sifting our rocks and other debris and adding sand to a run with the grand idea of easily sifting poop only to discover I didn’t like how it behaved in the winter. Now I add rice hulls, pine shavings and sticks of various sizes to the run, which also help decompose the poop.
Having said that, I don’t think there’s any danger in it.

Where do you get rice hulls?