Reasons NOT to use sand in a chicken coop or run

[lazy gardener]

Wood chips are trees that are chipped by tree service companies. Whole tree, including wood, leaves, bark, and branches are chipped. They work best for gardens and chicken runs if you let them sit in a pile some where so the tannins will leach out of them, and they can begin to compost, Ideally, a year or more!

 

[Usrudd]

I had tons of decisions to make when I brought home chicks for the first time earlier this year. I actually suffer from OCD and some other things and can literally freeze when it comes to making decisions. The sand method was my preference until I hauled four soggy 50 pound bags of sand out of the back of our truck. We had old tires and used them to weight down the back on our two-wheel drive for traction.

And now we have four bags of sand we can't compost. They'll eventually be put to good use when I create a new walking path soon, but this is something to consider when you go the sand route.

On the flip side is all the good examples out there of why some folks prefer sand. The Chicken Chick has a blog post on sand and there are YouTube videos, too. The idea is to buy or create a strong metal scoop that lets you easily sift the sand and remove droppings. It should only take a few quick minutes, and most of the droppings will be on poop boards under the roosts, which you can scrape into a bucket with a wide painter's tool you can get at a hardware store for a couple of bucks.

Ha, there's a buck at the back of my property right this very second!!

Anyway, compostable material on top of sand will likely create a mess. Poop is sticky and messy until it dries, but rain will mush it up again. The good news is that it melts and breaks down rather quickly. With the deep litter method the chickens sift it to the bottom where it composts nicely, and all you have to do is create a large screen sifter to sit on top of a wheelbarrow, rake aside the top layers of leaves and pine needles, and scoop up the smaller debris underneath, and there you go.

I have six chickens just like you. Just those six can shred apart a huge compost pile in a few quick seconds, so the deep litter method is perfect for anyone, really. To convert to the DLM from sand, perhaps remove the sand in stages and dump it somewhere for later use as an underlayer for a new pathway.

We have an abundance of leaves and pine needles, but if you find you don't have enough call your city or county and ask about raking up leaves in a park. Some towns even advertise this and put a limit on how many bags you can take. Pine needles are awesome because they mat together and help create a nice padded layer on top of the mud.

You can add grass clippings and wood chips, too.

Yes I can get grass and leaves and pine needles. And yes to removing sand in stages...but what did u mean when You wrote this

“The good news is that it melts and breaks down rather quickly. With the deep litter method the chickens sift it to the bottom where it composts nicely, and all you have to do is create a large screen sifter to sit on top of a wheelbarrow, rake aside the top layers of leaves and pine needles, and scoop up the smaller debris underneath, and there you go.”

What’s this about a screen and wheelbarrow? My friend use so a DL method and once per year she shovels the compost out into the garden. Never heard about a screen.

Help?
Thx

Yes I got the sand idea from chicken chick and I’m not happy.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Omg I made a typo. I wanted to say that I believe the deep litter is the way to go...but how do I get there now? Do u think I can add the dry carbon rich material right on top of sand? Is that what u did? My Run is covered so it does not get very wet. Thoughts welcome! I do have available leaves and pine needles, etc...will it work?

Ps what are aged wood chippings?

U

I wondered if that was a typo!

Beaches get covered in debris from overhanging trees. It doesn't seem to penetrate the sand much and sits on top. It's heavy and stays on the bottom, so maybe it will work just fine. But what I'm not clear on is the possibility of bacterial growth in the sand.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Yes I can get grass and leaves and pine needles. And yes to removing sand in stages...but what did u mean when You wrote this

“The good news is that it melts and breaks down rather quickly. With the deep litter method the chickens sift it to the bottom where it composts nicely, and all you have to do is create a large screen sifter to sit on top of a wheelbarrow, rake aside the top layers of leaves and pine needles, and scoop up the smaller debris underneath, and there you go.”

What’s this about a screen and wheelbarrow? My friend use so a DL method and once per year she shovels the compost out into the garden. Never heard about a screen.

Help?
Thx

Yes I got the sand idea from chicken chick and I’m not happy.

Oh, what I meant was that there are different methods of dealing with the compost for your veggie garden. Someone around here, recently I think, posted a photo of a large screening system that sits on top of a wheelbarrow. Just scoop the under layer and sift through the screen for rich, ready to use compost, and toss the rest back into the run.

Others scoop it all out and place it in a compost area to further break down. But I'm probably going to keep it in the run, layer on top with new material, and screen what falls to the bottom and is ready to use.

 

[aart]

Omg I made a typo. I wanted to say that I believe the deep litter is the way to go...but how do I get there now? Do u think I can add the dry carbon rich material right on top of sand? Is that what u did? My Run is covered so it does not get very wet. Thoughts welcome! I do have available leaves and pine needles, etc...will it work?
Ps what are aged wood chippings?

Glad it was a typo, I wondered.
Dry leaves and pine needles are a good ingredient.
But a mix of ingredients is best and should include larger and smaller wood chippings to absorb nitrates and create air spaces for the 'good bugs'.
Too much of any one ingredient can cause a slimy mass of anaerobic growth.

Wood chips are trees that are chipped by tree service companies. Whole tree, including wood, leaves, bark, and branches are chipped. They work best for gardens and chicken runs if you let them sit in a pile some where so the tannins will leach out of them, and they can begin to compost, Ideally, a year or more!

Ramial wood chippings are mostly just the branches(under maybe 4-6") and leaves, the larger branches and trunk are usually not chipped. They contain lots of good fungi that was living on the bark to start a microbiological 'composting' environment. But they also can contain 'bad' organisms that thrive in the wetness of a freshly trimmed live tree, so it's best to let them age for a few months.

 

[sweetater22]

I agree about the aged chips if you can get them. Aged wood chips will have a grey color and if you dig into to the pile they will be dark almost black and moist in nature. If you can only get green chips they will work but slower until they age. Aged chips have already been exposed to the fungi and good bugs that break down the manure of the chickens.

 

[lazy gardener]

My town has a huge paved lot adjacent to the dump site. This is used as a dumping ground for wood chips, compostable materials including leaves, grass clippings, and stable litter. The wood chip piles are sometimes up to 20' tall. We back the truck up to the piles. I like to line the truck bed with a tarp. This facilitates off loading the chips. It takes me about 20 minutes to load, and 15 minutes to off load. I push off enough of the load to make it possible to drag the tarp, then simply pull the load off the truck, tarp and all. Every now and then, I get into a vein of nice hot black chips!

 

[aart]

My town has a huge paved lot adjacent to the dump site. This is used as a dumping ground for wood chips, compostable materials including leaves, grass clippings, and stable litter. The wood chip piles are sometimes up to 20' tall. We back the truck up to the piles. I like to line the truck bed with a tarp. This facilitates off loading the chips. It takes me about 20 minutes to load, and 15 minutes to off load. I push off enough of the load to make it possible to drag the tarp, then simply pull the load off the truck, tarp and all. Every now and then, I get into a vein of nice hot black chips!

Dang, that sounds perfect stuff!! Great tarp technique too.
Will add the best ever chip moving tool:

 

[venymae]

My town has a huge paved lot adjacent to the dump site. This is used as a dumping ground for wood chips, compostable materials including leaves, grass clippings, and stable litter. The wood chip piles are sometimes up to 20' tall. We back the truck up to the piles. I like to line the truck bed with a tarp. This facilitates off loading the chips. It takes me about 20 minutes to load, and 15 minutes to off load. I push off enough of the load to make it possible to drag the tarp, then simply pull the load off the truck, tarp and all. Every now and then, I get into a vein of nice hot black chips!

I have wood chip envy.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Dang, that sounds perfect stuff!! Great tarp technique too.
Will add the best ever chip moving tool:
View attachment 1197538

Silage fork. It's a little known secret that they are the best for moving mulch. It is one of our main tools around here.