Not liking sand in run

[Tracyree]

I have a 16x20 run with sand. Not liking the sand at all. It stays damp too long (yes, we used construction sand) and it’s so cold in winter. I don’t understand how to clean it as the hens scratch their poo into it, not like it can be removed.

I HATE how the sand tracks on our boots to the garage….

I’m considering adding pine needles and/or pine nugget mulch. Any other alternative people like better?

I’ve heard poeple use horse stall pellets? How does that work as far as cleaning? Anything else out there to consider?

 

[aart]

What is your climate?
Is the run covered with a solid roof?

Coarse wood chippings from a tree trimmer have worked great for me, but you'd need a large space to store a big pile.
Just add a couple-few inches once in awhile, no 'cleaning' needed.

This is 2 loads:

 

[Sefirothe]

Seconding coarse wood chips. We had some oaks on the property cut down and asked the tree trimmers to leave us a pile of the wood chips.

After letting them age a bit, I added them to the run so they are about 6-8 inches deep. No cleaning needed and the chickens love scratching thru them.

This spring I plan on raking the chips to the side and pulling out some nice compost off the bottom to help fill some new raised garden beds. I'll add a couple more wheelbarrows off of the giant chip pile to refill the space.

aart is right tho, you do need space to store a large load if you ask a tree trimmer to drop some off. These will rot to dirt before I could go thru them all just in the chicken run.

 

[Tracyree]

Thanks all! It’s a covered run, but it still gets wet because it blows in. The roof is too high I think. We are in Middle TN

Would bagged pine nuggets from Home Depot work? I dont think i can get anything from a tree trimmer quickly

 

[skeeeter]

Hi, if those are the same size as the woodchips in the above pics, I'd imagine they would.
On another note, If you take your garden rake out there after the rain stops and lightly scratch the surface of the sand, it should be dry(on the surface) in an hour or two... Unless you get into that dark continually(2-3wk) rainy weather yall usually get.

 

[Tracyree]

Thanks. It’s soooooo gloomy.

 

[aart]

they are about 6-8 inches deep.

They don't need to be near that deep to be effective.
...and when they are fresh(wet/green), it can be dangerous to pile them more than an inch or two deep.

 

[Sefirothe]

They don't need to be near that deep to be effective.
...and when they are fresh(wet/green), it can be dangerous to pile them more than an inch or two deep.

I have at least one chicken who likes to dig dust baths almost to the core of the earth.

Ok maybe not that deep but I've seen holes deep enough that all you can see is her head poking out. Since my run is built on a gravel base, I'm trying to prevent the gravel from being dug up and mixed in.

The wood chip pile had aged 6 months before initial use in the run. Currently the pile is about a year and a half old. So definitely not fresh.

 

[Sefirothe]

Thanks all! It’s a covered run, but it still gets wet because it blows in. The roof is too high I think. We are in Middle TN

Would bagged pine nuggets from Home Depot work? I dont think i can get anything from a tree trimmer quickly

Bagged pine bark nuggets were exactly what I used in their temporary run while the pile of fresh oak chips aged and their permanent run was built.

I want to say I got maybe three or four bags for about 2-3 inch deep coverage in their 6x10 temporary run.

 

[KyCoop]

I have used pine pellets wetted down into sawdust, for 5 years now. Love them. My run is 8x16 and is covered. 90% dry. I keep about a 3 inch layer that is super easy to clean up poop with a rake. Like cleaning a cat box. It does get matted down so every couple, three months I give it a good turnover with a hoe and it's good to go again. I do a good hard raking if we get a lot of rain and i can throw down some dry pellets if there are and wet areas from blowing rain. I add a bag or two in the spring and fall. It's not maintenance free but it works for me.
I also use them in my coop.