Sand for the run

[aart]

I’m happy with wood chips as they’ve been fine so far apart from getting very wet recently as we had non stop rain but I’ve changed them to some fresh ones.

What kind of wood chips are you using?
They should not need to be changed out because they are wet.
Still wants to see pics and know number of birds.

 

[jonalisa]

I've used sand in my run for 10 years and would not use anything else.

 

[jonalisa]

Also will sand work on top of soil?

Yes.

 

[jonalisa]

Thank you for letting me know!

This has not been my experience, ever. I have a covered run with hardware cloth sides.
Photos of my coop and run

 

[Kriscam]

Hey. Does anyone use sand in their run? I currently use hardwood wood chips in the run and use ground sanitising powder as well as rake it about once a week. The run is covered. How easy is it to clean sand?

I have a sand/dirt mix with straw on top. We have clay soil and the sand helps keep it loose. The straw makes it easy to clean up after the girls and they can still dig down into the dirt when it's hot. My run is 4' x 15' and completely covered.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Lol, sand. Everyone either loves it or hates it! I happen to love it but then again my 8’ by 25’ run is roofed, I wrap it in plastic for the Winter, and I only have a dozen chickens. We live in waaaaaay-Southern Ohio at the bottom of a deep creek hollow where it’s always humid and wet, hot or cold. We use natural, washed, coarse grain river sand on top of a heavy clay soil. We dug out a few inches, built a bottomless 12” frame and filled it with the sand that gets delivered by the 14-ton truckload from our local quarry. I use a long-handled wok spider to scoop poop twice a day which takes me about ten to fifteen minutes. Easy peasey.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000DZXGLW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[PugHappy]

Hey. Does anyone use sand in their run? I currently use hardwood wood chips in the run and use ground sanitising powder as well as rake it about once a week. The run is covered. How easy is it to clean sand?

I guess I am odd person out here...I love my sand! I have it in the coop and run. It has to be washed COARSE construction sand. I buy Quickrete All Purpose Sand at Lowes. You do not want sand that clumps easily like play sand and other fine sands. I clean both coop and run daily within minutes using a long handled kitty litter scoop and a kid's metal rake. There is ZERO odor. I mixed in DE to help prevent little critters like mice and lice. The girls can dust bath in it and also have grit readily accessible. They scratch and find sprouted grains from their feed and various bugs that have made it in that day. I have a covered coop and run. It gets wet in the run with hard winds and rains. Otherwise stays mostly dry. Sand wicks moisture down, so yes over time it may compact. You only need 4 to 6 inches deep. When I clean, I am turning the sand, and the girls are scratching also. My set up is small so it works for me. I plan to change out the sand in coop once a month or so, that sand can go into the run where there is more airflow. Sand is a great choice for my compost pile because it makes for good drainage in the soil. My compost piles end up a nice blend of dirt and sand, the garden loves it! It is dusty at first coming out of the bags, that all settles, especially as it gets wet. I live in VA, hot humid summers, mild winters.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I guess I am odd person out here...I love my sand! I have it in the coop and run. It has to be washed COARSE construction sand. I buy Quickrete All Purpose Sand at Lowes. You do not want sand that clumps easily like play sand and other fine sands. I clean both coop and run daily within minutes using a long handled kitty litter scoop and a kid's metal rake. There is ZERO odor. I mixed in DE to help prevent little critters like mice and lice. The girls can dust bath in it and also have grit readily accessible. They scratch and find sprouted grains from their feed and various bugs that have made it in that day. I have a covered coop and run. It gets wet in the run with hard winds and rains. Otherwise stays mostly dry. Sand wicks moisture down, so yes over time it may compact. You only need 4 to 6 inches deep. When I clean, I am turning the sand, and the girls are scratching also. My set up is small so it works for me. I plan to change out the sand in coop once a month or so, that sand can go into the run where there is more airflow. Sand is a great choice for my compost pile because it makes for good drainage in the soil. My compost piles end up a nice blend of dirt and sand, the garden loves it! It is dusty at first coming out of the bags, that all settles, especially as it gets wet. I live in VA, hot humid summers, mild winters.

Me too! We are in hot, humid waaaaaaay-Southern Ohio. When it’s not hot and wet, it’s cold and wet. The sand is a life saver for me and the girls love it. I scoop poop twice a day, which takes about ten minutes for twelve girls. I rake it every once in a while or just start a few holes. The girls take care of the rest. They scratch and dig all day, dustbathe wherever they want, and I don’t have any problems with lice or mites. I have had chickens for four years now and have not “changed out“ the sand - though I do have to add to it soon. The poopy sand goes into the compost heap and will go into the yard as our soils is “all clay, all day.” I buy sand by the fourteen-ton dump truck load and it is delivered by the quarry. It’s washed, coarse grain, natural river sand sourced locally from the Scioto river. I don’t mix in DE as I already have lung problems, but I do mix in some Sweet PDZ Stall Refresher about every four months to supplement the sand on the poop decks.