Run question

[Crazyladybulldog]

So it probably dries in summer. Unless it's really wet to the point of dripping when you sift the sand I would not worry about it. Your chickens will enjoy the cool sand when they are dusting themselves. If it's to wet they will get off the ground so provide roosts or stumps to stand on.

Thank you

 

[Crazyladybulldog]

So it probably dries in summer. Unless it's really wet to the point of dripping when you sift the sand I would not worry about it. Your chickens will enjoy the cool sand when they are dusting themselves. If it's to wet they will get off the ground so provide roosts or stumps to stand on.

Thank you

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I'm in the delta of southern arky. We have clay hardpan. I live 4 miles from a river and could get all the free sand I could ever want if it worked. For that matter if it worked every production chicken house around here would be using it instead of rice hulls they use here. Sand isn't good for chicken runs or coops. The poop doesn't break down and it starts to stink and binds the sand together so it won't drain. You can search on here and it's been discussed into the ground over the years. Everybody that tries it ends up abandoning the idea. Normally they argue with us about how great sand drains then a few months into summer they are asking why their coop stinks so badly and/or how to get rid of all the flies.

I ended up getting a wood chipper and making my own chips from downed limbs and tops from trees I cut for firewood. The poop breaks down and I toss it on my garden when I clean out.

I’ll add that some do have success with sand, but they are typically in very, very dry, even desert conditions. Think US Southwest, etc.

For the rest of us, organic (as in plant-derived, not as in organic food) run materials work best: pine straw, shredded bark mulch, pine bark nuggets, dead leaves, dried grass clippings (all these mixed together), rice hulls, hemp, and so forth. Sand and pea gravel are inorganic (never living.)

Chickens were originally jungle - meaning forest - animals. These organic materials replicate the forest floor.

 

[BDutch]

Remove sand, it holds water and turns into a mess with chickens pooping in it.

This is untrue info if:

• there is permeable soil underneath the sand,
• you let thing (bushes) grow in your run and
• you have no roof above it.

Add autumn leaves to compensate the poop nutrients. Make sure there is enough space to keep the soil healthy.

I have such a run for almost 10 years now. Its no mess at all. Burt you have to be sure the water doesn't stagnate.

PS: the soil in the chicken run is very much alive with all kind of worms and insects in it.

 

[BDutch]

It doesn’t get wet from rain it is a covered run just damp from moisture from the air and I have read that riverbank sand was the best to use

Yes, it's riverbank sand is great sand it's a bit course.

I use this and playground sand in my very small run with a roof. You do need to clean it regularly if they poop in it. Just sift the sand.

My chickens don't poop in it. They poop from the roost (poop tray) and if they rise and shine they go to the open run (auto pop door). The covered run is often used as sand bath area. They keep it clean.

 

[debid]

I've been using yard waste for a long time. I give them leaves and grass clippings and sometimes free wood chips (a tree trimming service puts a mountain in the field for us whenever we let them). The chickens turn it all into glorious compost that's useful for me. Rather than scooping poop, I just wait until the ceiling gets low and I'll go in with a shovel and a tractor to empty out an abundance of fertile, black soil that is then used elsewhere for growing things. Our natural soil is clay and limestone boulders so it doesn't want to drain but where they are isn't all puddles because of the slope and the much more absorbent soil they are creating. I have a roof over about half their space, it gets adequate moisture and they can go outside even if it's raining. They seem pretty pleased to find crickets and worms in their run.