run mud smells like a pig's sty and low tide....

[ChickChickChicky]

I have done this out in the run at my house with terrible mud- I dump every year 4 bags of play sand along my walkways and near the waterers to keep the chickens' feet and my feet from getting those terrible "mud shoes with suction."

I have read that if you mix clay and sand together it worsens soil drainage/makes concrete. But with just sand on top I would think that would help???

If every year you are having to add yet more sand.... where do you think the previous year's sand is disappearing to????? I'm sure some of it gets kicked around, but I imagine alot of it is getting worked down into that clay. Yes, if you could just put a layer of sand ON TOP OF the clay and have it stay there, everything would be hunkey-dorey.... but when it gets tromped on it is going to mix in.

I'm always for anything that results in less work, and all I know is that a bag of leaves is a lot lighter to haul than a bag of sand..... just sayin'.......

 

[debid]

If every year you are having to add yet more sand.... where do you think the previous year's sand is disappearing to????? I'm sure some of it gets kicked around, but I imagine alot of it is getting worked down into that clay. Yes, if you could just put a layer of sand ON TOP OF the clay and have it stay there, everything would be hunkey-dorey.... but when it gets tromped on it is going to mix in.

I'm always for anything that results in less work, and all I know is that a bag of leaves is a lot lighter to haul than a bag of sand..... just sayin'.......

Yes, but it takes longer. People are all about the instant fix even if it's expensive. I get my leaves for the price of my time raking and the change might take a couple years but for me, it pays off. I'm using chopped straw in the coop because the spent litter then becomes the coarse organic material for my garden (which also has too much clay). I've never seen so many worms as I do when I dig in that garden.

 

[jackson41]

dont know about that....I was being half sarcastic but sand and clay are 2 of 3 ingridients in plasters etc so I imagine it will become hard over time...I vote for improving the soil as well but my version would include areas being able to have rest periods as well. Like in paddock systems.

I was also being sarcastic! I have had my sand in my covered run for 3 years with no concrete yet. If it gets wet is dries out quickly and no odor. I rake the sand once in a while and add a thin layer in the spring. I use coarse builders sand. It works for me but may not for everybody. I also add leaves to the run in the winter when they can't free range in the grass. They love that also.
I think everybody has to do what works for them it is a matter of trial and error.

 

[Keltara]

Susan-

Use Sand, Sand, SAND!! I've seen so many people on this thread discouraging the use of sand. I have sand in both my coop and my run. There is NOTHING better! The make up of my property is primarily clay as well. Sand works wonderfully in the chicken run. When it gets wet, it is way cleaner than mud and it dries quickly. Yes you will have to add more to it now and then, but it is very cheap. I don't add more sand because it is becoming cement with the clay. I am adding more sand because over time, the elements and cleaning reduces the amount of your sand. Same thing happens inside of my coop and I add a bag every 7 months or so. Sand is odor and moisture free which provides an extremely healthy environment for your hens. Please come visit my blog post about "Coop Management". It's all about using sand in your run and your coop. Feel free to message me if you have any questions, but I can honestly tell you that sand is THE...BEST...WAY...TO...GO. It is extremely clean for the chickens feet (and your boots!). It dries quicker than dirt and cleaning is an absolute breeze. Sometimes, the best way to understand something is to see it. Seeing is believing after all, right? Click here, or on the photo below to get to the informational post. And, I invite all you nay sayers to visit as well.

And just a side note, I would shovel out a bunch of the funkafied soil and use it in a garden. I'm sure it's packed full of chicken poop and will be great for plants. Once you add sand (and you can put a layer of limestone under it if you want. I didn't need to.), your chicken run experience is going to do a complete 360!

Sincerely,
Kelly
✿Our Country Chronicles✿

​

 

[ontimeborzoi]

If I was making potting soil, I would combine clay and organic matter and sand. This mix in the right proportions would both hold moisture *and* drain well. For plants, that is. But for chickens, I want dry. Very dry. I cannot get any drier than sand, nice coarse sand, possibly built up into a raised bed if drainage problems are severe enough. Organic matter holds moisture. If you live in a very dry climate, the amount of moisture it holds might not be an issue, but if you live where its damp/snowy/rainy or low lying already, adding organic matter can just make a wet stinky mess for the chickens.
Sand. I use it inside the coop under a layer of pine shavings, and in a deep bed in the runs. No mud, no smell, no flies.
I use sand in my dog runs. Friends use sand in their horse pens. No complaints. None would ever return to the days of organic materials as footing for animals exercise areas.

 

[jamband]

Susan-

Use Sand, Sand, SAND!! I've seen so many people on this thread discouraging the use of sand. I have sand in both my coop and my run. There is NOTHING better! The make up of my property is primarily clay as well. Sand works wonderfully in the chicken run. When it gets wet, it is way cleaner than mud and it dries quickly. Yes you will have to add more to it now and then, but it is very cheap. I don't add more sand because it is becoming cement with the clay. I am adding more sand because over time, the elements and cleaning reduces the amount of your sand. Same thing happens inside of my coop and I add a bag every 7 months or so. Sand is odor and moisture free which provides an extremely healthy environment for your hens. Please come visit my blog post about "Coop Management". It's all about using sand in your run and your coop. Feel free to message me if you have any questions, but I can honestly tell you that sand is THE...BEST...WAY...TO...GO. It is extremely clean for the chickens feet (and your boots!). It dries quicker than dirt and cleaning is an absolute breeze. Sometimes, the best way to understand something is to see it. Seeing is believing after all, right? Click here, or on the photo below to get to the informational post. And, I invite all you nay sayers to visit as well.

And just a side note, I would shovel out a bunch of the funkafied soil and use it in a garden. I'm sure it's packed full of chicken poop and will be great for plants. Once you add sand (and you can put a layer of limestone under it if you want. I didn't need to.), your chicken run experience is going to do a complete 360!

Sincerely,
Kelly
✿Our Country Chronicles✿

​

where do you think the sand is going? mixing with the clay below.....try digging a hole in the run

 

[jamband]

If I was making potting soil, I would combine clay and organic matter and sand. This mix in the right proportions would both hold moisture *and* drain well. For plants, that is. But for chickens, I want dry. Very dry. I cannot get any drier than sand, nice coarse sand, possibly built up into a raised bed if drainage problems are severe enough. Organic matter holds moisture. If you live in a very dry climate, the amount of moisture it holds might not be an issue, but if you live where its damp/snowy/rainy or low lying already, adding organic matter can just make a wet stinky mess for the chickens.
Sand. I use it inside the coop under a layer of pine shavings, and in a deep bed in the runs. No mud, no smell, no flies.
I use sand in my dog runs. Friends use sand in their horse pens. No complaints. None would ever return to the days of organic materials as footing for animals exercise areas.

I have never heard of anyone using clay in potting soil ever...........there are 4 articles posted here showing sand and clay is not a good mixture.

 

[jamband]

would also say the smell etc issues people have is due mostly to stagnant permanent runs.......keeping animals in one place is like shoveling against the tied.....nature can handle it, nature would never do such things

 

[ontimeborzoi]

Okay Organick, point taken. Let me rephrase. If i had clay soil, and wished to amend it so it would be friable and useful as a potting soil, I would add organic matter and SAND. Sand allows excellent drainage. That is why pretty much anyone with horses and arenas or run uses so much of it. Its never slick when wet, and it dries quickly. For chickens, dry is the key to avoiding a lot of health issues.

 

[jamband]

I totally understand the point of dryness but its just one point.......The article I posted earlier from wash state showed that to improve clay with sand it would take a 50% mixture of sand and clay. anything less results in a heavier less drainage friendly soil......organic matter makes clay better and more drainage friendly at much smaller %.....So i would stick with the leaves wood chips etc.

The article actually said wood chips did very very well with clay......what about covering the run with a few inches of wood chips? they are free or really cheap??