Sand in the run, should it be compacted or left loose?

[blackdog043]

@Farmgirl1878 is your run covered?

 

[Farmgirl1878]

@Farmgirl1878 is your run covered?

About two-thirds of it is under roof. The other third, about 8’x8’ square, has a “roof” made of 2”x4” fencing. During the winter, I cover it with a reinforced clear tarp. Works well, tho I may build a support so the tarp doesn’t fill up with rain water.

Someone asked a few posts ago about where to buy sand - I buy mine by the dump truck load from the local quarry. It’s usually a couple hundred buck, delivered, for about fourteen tons. I use a lot of it on the path from the basement door to the coop.

 

[Annabellarose]

I doubt horses are ever bedded on the kind of wood chippings I'm talking about, which were free from the tree trimmers.


I don't mind sifting poop off the roost boards in the coop, but I never scoop up any poops in the runs.

Yeah, I don't think that I would be happy with this setup for my (current) situation; however, that would be an AMAZING setup if I could have a bigger run (which I hope to have at our next property). Great idea!

 

[Annabellarose]

@Annabellarose Is your run covered? Poop, sand and water don't make a nice environment for chickens, after a while. There are a few people here that like sand, but I believe they live in very dry environments.

I use wood chips in my run like @aart they work well, no odor and doesn't attract flies. I haven't cleaned my run out in more than 3 years, I just add more wood chips and yard/garden waste.

Yes, my entire run will be completely under a roof.

 

[Annabellarose]

Question: where did you get your sand? I'm looking into this as well for my run and having a heck of a time outside lugging a ton home from home depot.

There is an industrial building supply company in my town that I found the type of sand that I was looking for at the best price, but I found acceptable types at another (local brand) building supply company, at least one local landscaping company (I suspect that several local landscaping companies might have had something that I could have used), at least one local concrete manufacturer, and at least one local quarry (which was a bit farther away than I wanted to haul from, but was still doable); I found a finer sand (than I wanted) at even more places (a local excavating company and a pool supply company to name a few) locally. I have an older, long bed, full size truck and I hauled everything myself, but so as not to overtax my older truck I only hauled about 1,500-2,000 pounds per load and got 6 loads (5 are already in my "hole", 1 more for topping it up once I put a "lip" inside the run). I would sure hate to have had to buy it and haul it home in bags (even with a truck); if that had been my only option I would not have gone with sand, to be honest

 

[bfc chicks]

I can hear the dissention now but hear me out first. One place i get my sand is from the borough located north of me every spring they sweep the streets and then deposit a sand and grit size river gravel to an area near my hen house. I get about 50 tons yes tons of sand and river gravel pea size mixed with about 5 % leaf mulch. I use it on my gardens and beds also. Since they don't use salt I don't have to worry about that. The sand usually sits and leaches for about a year and a half before being used in the coops. The ladies love it and it gives them both a bath dusting and grit for their gizzards. Better grinding of my personnel brand of scratch. In my breeding coops which are 3 feet above the ground with clean out doors at both sides i can place a wheel barrow or cart under the door and skim off the droppings and off to the compost for a year. In the large house a tool used by stone masons and brick layers to level floors is used and since my houses are old mobile trailers again its into the wheel barrow or cart and off the compost. I have tried wood sawdust, straw and hay, shredded paper, and newspaper, i like the sand and gravel mix and since I'm in zone 5b in NW PA a little closer room in the houses keeps in the heat in the winter and large windows with screens and/or hardware cloth gives an airy feeling in the summer. Just what i do and it works. Oh ya my 50 tons , its free. And they also deliver the 13 tons of fall leaves to mix with the dropping for the compost.