Sand in run, not sure if I like it

[MnKHarden]

I put sand down in the run and no I don't think I like it. It seems to stay damp. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could add to it? I really do not want to remove all of it. I was thinking pea gravel or dirt. I do like that it isn't to difficult to clean, I just use a kitty litter scoop.

Thanks for your ideas

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sand should drain really well. The coarser it is ( that means the bigger the individual grains) the better it will drain, but even sugar sand should drain fairly well. My guess is that the water does not have anywhere to go. What you may have done is dig a hole in impervious clay and fill that with sand. That just traps the water. My suggestion is to either find a way for the water to drain, like maybe a French drain to a lower spot, or build up enough height that the water can drain out the top. They will still dig holes for dust baths and reach the water, but most of the run should be dry.

 

[Nicole01]

I love the sand! It dries very quickly. I can run cold water on it in the heat and it cools it down.

 

[Caity]

I agree with ridgerunner--sand should dry faster than other materials, not slower. I'm only just building our coop and run, but I consulted this page https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop about how to make a dry run (I'm worried about moisture in our low, shady backyard). I know your run isn't muddy, but it essentially just talks about drainage. Hope it helps, and good luck!

 

[Kjf18]

I dug down and put about 18" of gravel under our run, covered that with a layer of hardware cloth (for predator protection) and landscaping fabric (to hold the sand in place and keep it from sifting down into the gravel). I then put 6" of sand over the fabric. The sand I used is probably too fine, but it still dries very fast.

KJF

 

[MnKHarden]

It must be the clay. I guess I have some more work to do. Thank you everyone for your responses!