Sand in enclosed run?

[JudithM]

I have a smaller run area than yours, but I use sand - play sand. It hardens as it ages but works ok. I have heard construction sand is better. the sand still gets full of feces and feathers. I use two pieces of plastic hardware cloth about 2ftx2ft squares. I rake all the stuff to the front and then use the plastic pieces as a sieve.. I put them offset on top of each other and rake the stuff on top then pick it up, fold in half and shake, shake shake. the dirt falls out and all that is left to throw away is the trash. I put down a bag or so of fresh sand if needed, and top with sprinkles of DE.

We use a stable rake covered with the 1/4" hardware cloth to sift the poop from the sand. That works really well and the little bit that falls through will wash on down during rains. I also made a sifter box about 2' x 2' with the 1/4" hardware cloth on bottom and I can shovel sand into it and just pick it up and let the sand fall through. I had a local sand and gravel company deliver a huge truck load of yard sand so I am probably set for years.. LOL! That is if the grandkids don't scatter it too much. It makes a great baby sitter also.

 

[Lawrence Lovestock]

x2. Sand works for some folks, especially in dry climates. I like shavings and deep litter much better here. It gets remove two or three times each year, and added to otherwise. No daily poop scooping!
Mary

What is deep litter?

 

[JudithM]

x2. Sand works for some folks, especially in dry climates. I like shavings and deep litter much better here. It gets remove two or three times each year, and added to otherwise. No daily poop scooping!
Mary

My daughter in law has chicken coops mostly covered with tin. She uses shavings and it is almost impossible to control the odor. Open tops might help if the rain could keep them washed but I prefer the construction sand because it is easily sprayed off with the water hose, drains super fast and in the summer, chickens love it too as it helps cool them off to spray the sand down. This winter, I will probably only spray down 1/2 of the runs at the time so they will not be too wet and cold. I don't think the sand I use would hold enough water to freeze anyway. Guess in a freezing temp it might but it rarely gets below 32 degrees here in Alabama.

 

[Mobleymoon]

Hello! Please excuse me, Age and time are taking their toll on me and I feel rushed to beat the snow. The straw and dirt dust is getting to be too much. Even with a mask, it's rough. I have been babysitting 7 full-grown chickens for most of the summer. One of the girls went broody and now we have 6 delightful babies! (ya!!!) When it was just "baby-sitting", thoughts of redoing the coop and run stayed on the back burner. Now with babies in the house (we get to keep mom and kids!!!! hooray!!!) husband re-roofed the coop and put up storm shutters. I have read a lot about sand but now I feel even more confused. You, BYC, are like my Spock (Star Trek, not Dr.). Your opinions are trusted better than other people's facts. Here are my questions: when? now or spring? what kind? Really, what KIND of sand? How deep? in the coop ? in the "Round Run" (not covered against the rain)? Thank you so much for just being here. 20 years ago I was so much younger and flying by the seat of my pants was a trill, to be sure. I lost my free-range birds to the cop next door and his dogs. Because HE was a cop, his dogs had the free run of my 10 ackers!?!?!? Cop and dogs are gone and I need a passion. Paint, curtains, and posters are all in the winter mix. But none of that helps with the cleaning. Can somebody help? It's Oct. and the weather only give 2-3 days at a time between the rain. The highs from now on will only get up to 45-50, maybe. Sand is now or spring. Help?

 

[JudithM]

Hello! Please excuse me, Age and time are taking their toll on me and I feel rushed to beat the snow. The straw and dirt dust is getting to be too much. Even with a mask, it's rough. I have been babysitting 7 full-grown chickens for most of the summer. One of the girls went broody and now we have 6 delightful babies! (ya!!!) When it was just "baby-sitting", thoughts of redoing the coop and run stayed on the back burner. Now with babies in the house (we get to keep mom and kids!!!! hooray!!!) husband re-roofed the coop and put up storm shutters. I have read a lot about sand but now I feel even more confused. You, BYC, are like my Spock (Star Trek, not Dr.). Your opinions are trusted better than other people's facts. Here are my questions: when? now or spring? what kind? Really, what KIND of sand? How deep? in the coop ? in the "Round Run" (not covered against the rain)? Thank you so much for just being here. 20 years ago I was so much younger and flying by the seat of my pants was a trill, to be sure. I lost my free-range birds to the cop next door and his dogs. Because HE was a cop, his dogs had the free run of my 10 ackers!?!?!? Cop and dogs are gone and I need a passion. Paint, curtains, and posters are all in the winter mix. But none of that helps with the cleaning. Can somebody help? It's Oct. and the weather only give 2-3 days at a time between the rain. The highs from now on will only get up to 45-50, maybe. Sand is now or spring. Help?

High in the 45-50 range? Wow... sounds like you may have some really low temps. We are in the South in zone 8. I have no experience with frozen ground so I am afraid sand may not be your best option. We rarely get down to freezing here in the winter and even more rare to see snow or any kind of frozen ground. Maybe for a day or two at the time but temps here are pretty warm. I like sand here because I can let the rain clean the dust and of course, I scoop poop about once a week or two and then turn the water hose on the sand to finish cleaning it as it drains quickly but if it was frozen, that would be an issue. I know my daughter in law uses shavings but they are hard to clean and mainly have to be removed and replaced with fresh or you have a lot of stink. That is why I opted to go with construction sand.

 

[azygous]

Hello! Please excuse me, Age and time are taking their toll on me and I feel rushed to beat the snow. The straw and dirt dust is getting to be too much. Even with a mask, it's rough. I have been babysitting 7 full-grown chickens for most of the summer. One of the girls went broody and now we have 6 delightful babies! (ya!!!) When it was just "baby-sitting", thoughts of redoing the coop and run stayed on the back burner. Now with babies in the house (we get to keep mom and kids!!!! hooray!!!) husband re-roofed the coop and put up storm shutters. I have read a lot about sand but now I feel even more confused. You, BYC, are like my Spock (Star Trek, not Dr.). Your opinions are trusted better than other people's facts. Here are my questions: when? now or spring? what kind? Really, what KIND of sand? How deep? in the coop ? in the "Round Run" (not covered against the rain)? Thank you so much for just being here. 20 years ago I was so much younger and flying by the seat of my pants was a trill, to be sure. I lost my free-range birds to the cop next door and his dogs. Because HE was a cop, his dogs had the free run of my 10 ackers!?!?!? Cop and dogs are gone and I need a passion. Paint, curtains, and posters are all in the winter mix. But none of that helps with the cleaning. Can somebody help? It's Oct. and the weather only give 2-3 days at a time between the rain. The highs from now on will only get up to 45-50, maybe. Sand is now or spring. Help?

Where you live will determine how effective sand is in coop and run. If you live where it's very wet and humid and your run is exposed to the wet weather, and there isn't good drainage, sand may not be for you.

I use construction sand (coarse) in my runs, have for many years, and it works great for me. My climate is arid, and my run is covered, and there is no runoff that soaks the sand in the run. It's easily scooped and it stays clean as long as I'm up to the task of scooping often. Even still, if my run wasn't covered, rain and snow would wet the sand, making it stink and causing the sand to freeze solid in sub freezing weather.

I use masonry sand (fine) in the coops. It also makes it easy to keep clean. The chickens enjoy dirt bathing in the sand as there is a large window in one coop to let in sunlight. Sand also heats up from the sun and acts as a heat sink, keeping the coop and run warmer in winter. In summer, I dampen the sand and the evaporation helps keep it cooler in the run.

I'm currently in the process of hauling new sand in to put on top of the old in the run. I will scoop out all of the old sand in the coops and clean well since I haven't done it in a few years. Then I will put new sand in the coops.

I need to time it right, though. New sand from the gravel yard is generally damp. If I import damp sand ahead of a bout of below freezing weather, the added moisture in the air will make frost bite a danger. So I'm looking ahead to getting this done this next week while the weather is warm and dry, giving the sand time to dry out before the next freezing weather hits.

 

[Mobleymoon]

Where you live will determine how effective sand is in coop and run. If you live where it's very wet and humid and your run is exposed to the wet weather, and there isn't good drainage, sand may not be for you.

I use construction sand (coarse) in my runs, have for many years, and it works great for me. My climate is arid, and my run is covered, and there is no runoff that soaks the sand in the run. It's easily scooped and it stays clean as long as I'm up to the task of scooping often. Even still, if my run wasn't covered, rain and snow would wet the sand, making it stink and causing the sand to freeze solid in sub freezing weather.

I use masonry sand (fine) in the coops. It also makes it easy to keep clean. The chickens enjoy dirt bathing in the sand as there is a large window in one coop to let in sunlight. Sand also heats up from the sun and acts as a heat sink, keeping the coop and run warmer in winter. In summer, I dampen the sand and the evaporation helps keep it cooler in the run.

I'm currently in the process of hauling new sand in to put on top of the old in the run. I will scoop out all of the old sand in the coops and clean well since I haven't done it in a few years. Then I will put new sand in the coops.

I need to time it right, though. New sand from the gravel yard is generally damp. If I import damp sand ahead of a bout of below-freezing weather, the added moisture in the air will make frost bite a danger. So I'm looking ahead to getting this done this next week while the weather is warm and dry, giving the sand time to dry out before the next freezing weather hits.

Thanks for your reply. The run is open to the sky, only hawk netting. We're in the woods so what Sun we do get is fleeting, esp. now with is swinging south. I think this is a project to be undertaken in the spring when the thaw brings mud. I already have the dry straw. I can stuff it like crazy. The 6 babies (3 wks. old) are not on the ground yet, so they don't know what's coming. Sand will have to wait till spring. In the meantime, I'm going to grow fodder this winter.

 

[Mobleymoon]

High in the 45-50 range? Wow... sounds like you may have some really low temps. We are in the South in zone 8. I have no experience with frozen ground so I am afraid sand may not be your best option. We rarely get down to freezing here in the winter and even more rare to see snow or any kind of frozen ground. Maybe for a day or two at the time but temps here are pretty warm. I like sand here because I can let the rain clean the dust and of course, I scoop poop about once a week or two and then turn the water hose on the sand to finish cleaning it as it drains quickly but if it was frozen, that would be an issue. I know my daughter in law uses shavings but they are hard to clean and mainly have to be removed and replaced with fresh or you have a lot of stink. That is why I opted to go with construction sand.

Oh to live anywhere south of here, Michigan, smack between Chicago and Detroit Last year we went to 26 below 0 for 72 hrs. That's not the "norm". Mostly 20's -30's from Thanksgiving to March. We live in the woods so the wind is buffered a little. Last year everybody was older, but this year I have babies, she hatched them, I didn't. This year I will use rolled insulation (not fiberglass, I'm allergic) covered with burlap sacks. Its funny someone hasn't come up with an additive to water or food to make the poop not stink so bad. I make charcoal biscuits for our dogs because of doggy breath and oh the goss dog poop. It's a wonderful treat and works like magic. I wonder if I made up a small crumble type, (like how they make corn flakes with rolling pins) and fed it to the chickens if it would reduce the strong ammonia odor? Maybe the eggshells will be black? What a hoot! Thanks for your reply. Let's keep in touch.