Sand base for chicken run or no?

[Fitzchickmama]

I was told 6-8 inches is best. Get a kitty scoop for poo
What are your thoughts?

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I have sand, I love it! Mine is only an inch or two deep at the most, but I clean it up about 4 times a day and also add new sand every 4-5 months. I know that sounds excessive, but I spend just a couple minutes each time picking up whenever I go visit the girls.The sand just makes the poo easy to see and to pick up.

 

[boggart]

I have sand, I love it! Mine is only an inch or two deep at the most, but I clean it up about 4 times a day and also add new sand every 4-5 months. I know that sounds excessive, but I spend just a couple minutes each time picking up whenever I go visit the girls.The sand just makes the poo easy to see and to pick up.

Do you compost with the chicken litter you pick up? I’m getting a backhoe load of sand in for my coop-in-progress tomorrow, and that’s what I plan on doing with their waste on a daily basis.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Do you compost with the chicken litter you pick up? I’m getting a backhoe load of sand in for my coop-in-progress tomorrow!

No, I should do that, but I just throw it away. I let my 8 chickens and 2 little ones free range for a few hours in the evenings and just figure whatever I miss will fertilize my garden over the years.

 

[Fitzchickmama]

Thanks for the input. We went with sand in the run and keeping pine shavings in the coop for now. Happy chickens!