New to the world of backyard chickens

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gallagherml13

gallagherml13

Hatching
5 Years
Apr 8, 2014
6
0
7
Arvada Colorado
My husband and I have decided to venture into the world of backyard chickens! Two of our close friends keep chickens and over time we seem to have gotten the "chicken bug". We have the coop and are in the process of learning and setting things up. We plan to start with 4 pullets and will most likely bring them home in the next couple weeks! Can't wait! This site has proved to be a excellent resource for info!
 
Hello and welcome to BYC from Ohio! You know, that's exactly how I got the chicken keeping bug....my friend had a few and I just fell in love with them!

Let me share a tip with you. Sand is wonderful for your outdoor chicken run. It's wonderful. No mud when it rains, and you can rake up the droppings....Very nice.

Take care and happy chickening!
Sharon
 
images


Welcome to BYC!

Oh, I am a huge fan of sand. I worship the stuff!! It is very easy to clean, it stays dry even when wet, keeps the flies away, there is no poop smell, the chickens love to scratch around in it, you can hose it down in the summer and it keeps the birds really cool, and some sand has tiny stones for the gizzards. You can get this in old river beds, or dry washes or arroyo's, sand and gravel companies usually carry it and deliver, or you can even use play box sand. It needs to be about 4 to 6 inches deep and since you remove so little of it, you may only have to refresh it with a light coat once a year. Here is a nice thread you can read thru about sand....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

I use it in all the coops, runs and even the nest boxes! I will NEVER go back to regular bedding again.

If you have any other questions, that is what we are here for. Welcome to our flock!
 
Oh you're welcome. My chicken runs used to have just dirt in them and it was awful. So much nicer with the sand. I use a kitty litter scoop. Or you can just rake it up. When it's super hot and humid out, sometimes I just hose down the sand and the chickens love that. Helps them cool off. If you get the sand from a quarry, and buy a pickup truck load, it's very inexpensive. I get some fresh sand each year, because I know I throw some out from raking it.
 

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