Sand.... I know it's good for the run, but

[pips&peeps]

What about inside the pen??? I have cement floors and it seems I am always cleaning and the moisture from the ground in the winter seems to wick up through the cement.

My set up is not conducive to drop pans under the roosts, but would sand be an alternative???

Anyone out there use it inside??

And, anyone using sand in run put down something as a base before adding it?

Thanks,

ETA: Anyone use sand in their brooders?

 

[pips&peeps]

Anybody??????????????

 

[krcote]

I think you meant inside the coop? I usually think of a "pen" as the same as a "run"?

 

[pips&peeps]

correct

 

[JustClucky]

I have a small pan of sand in my brooder with my older chicks. They're 4 weeks old. I don't like the whole entire thing with it, though but I can see how much easier it might be than anything else. They dust bathe in the sand like crazy so after about an hour, the sand is all gone. I just use regular play sand. I probably won't use it in the run because we live close to a lake and our soil is ridiculously sandy in the first place. It might be a good thing for once! lol

 

[patandchickens]

If you are *genuinely* getting moisture wicking up thru the concrete, the thing to do (come the dry time of year) is to clean all the bedding out, clean the concrete well and then put on a coupla good coats of sealer. That'll fix it.

However you may well be getting not so much wicked moisture as *condensation*. A clue would be if this problem is worst when it's been cold weather but now you're having a warm spell.

To the extent that condensation is the problem (warm air hits cold sand/concrete), your only solution is to replace the sand with something with far less thermal mass and better insulating powers, e.g. shavings or straw.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[pips&peeps]

Quote:
It happens all winter and when it is really wet out. When it gets to above freezing outside I open all the windows in the buidling and leave the pop doors open all night. It rarely freezes in there because of the number of birds I keep, but I will only have about 1/3 to 1/4 of the number of birds in the future, can't afford to feed them anymore during the fall and winter. We could put the money to other uses.

It is not as bad right now, but I can find moisture on the floor under my stacks of feed bags. I have ended up putting an empty one of those new plastic type feed bags under my feed to keep the moisture from getting to it.

I will try the sealer too this year.