Sand in the run? How to clean?

[smcdermott]

Building our coop right now. Thinking we want to go with sand in the run. It is going to be a BIG run. Can I just rake the poop out with a thick garden rake?
Someone was saying to use a litter scoop in the coop but that would be totally impossible for the run.
????????????

 

[TalkALittle]

I zip tied 1/2 inch hardware cloth to a pitch fork and made myself a giant litter scoop. Scoop, sift, dump in a bucket and I'm done.

 

[smcdermott]

Thanks so much. Did you try the rake frist? Would I just be waisting time?

 

[Monguire]

I have found i usually have to do one or the other. If I take my metal garden rake to the sand in my run, it pretty much breaks up the dessicated poop to the point where scooping it is almost impossible unless I wanted to send an offending child out with a flour sifter as punishment. On lazy days, I'll use the rake.

On good days, when I'm looking to reduce the nitrogen load in my sand, maintain a "cleaner" environment for my babies and stockpiling more poop away for my future raised-bed garden, I'll use the "litter scoop" to pull the worst offenders out of the sand before maybe giving a light going-over with the rake to fill in bathing-holes.

 

[TalkALittle]

Thanks so much. Did you try the rake frist? Would I just be waisting time?

If you start moving the poop around, it breaks up and becomes unsiftable. I don't bother raking except to even the sand out.

 

[Memeschix]

Go to the chicken-chick.com and search sand in run and she gives instruction on how to make your giant sand scoop. If you just rake, your just breaking down poop, not removing it. I like my run to be clean, the less poop , the better.

 

[crumptz]

HAHA... When I googled Chicken-chick.com it directed me to an "adults only site". Is there perhaps a different name I should look under?

 

[Bob Wehrlie]

good Idea

 

[Bob Wehrlie]

WTG

 

[Bob Wehrlie]

LIKE!!