Sand in the run?

[Rowtag]

I have sand in my run, I like it quite a bit. I just rake it once a week and it's as good as new. I am going to need to add a bit more here soon but it is far better than the mud I had going on a few months ago. The smell is much less and the run is much cooler than before, which is great in this heat. I can also spray the run down with water on really hot days and it keeps it cooler without making things muddy.

I didn't buy it in bags though, it costs a lot less to buy a scoop from a landscaping place. It was less than $20 for 400 sq ft, if I had used bags it would have been substantially higher.

 

[mrsgibber]

My run started out grass but the girls have really stripped it down so with all the rain we've been getting it gets a bit muddy. I do rake mine weekly into a sort of compost area where I throw weeds from the garden and grass clippings that they like to sift through. I don't scoop it out. Can people post us some pictures of your sandy runs so I can get a better idea of what it is actually like?

 

[MamaJohnson]

So then, I guess it IS nasty that I've been neglecting that run...

How are those poor chickens ever gonna survive me?!! OK. Sand. Rake. Wash. How deep is your sand? I assume it's just a layer on top of dirt, right?

 

[Chicken Woman]

If you dont want it washed away you need to dig out about 4 or 5 inches of dirt. Then fill with sand. Otherwise it sits on top and will wash away. I think its woth the effort. i have one with sand and one without and I am going to dig the other one out and fill with sand as well.

 

[MamaJohnson]

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Yes please!!!

 

[okieroy]

My sand is deep in some areas. Up to 3 inches. In other areas only 1/4 inch or so. It self levels.

 

[Judy]

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I don't know about that. Does it smell? It will definitely wash into the soil in time. In deep litter in coops, lots of people just leave the poop and let it dehydrate and sift down into the litter. If it's not smelly and full of flies, I'd say it's going somewhere.

 

[Rowtag]

I didn't have to dig mine out, and we have had big rains without losing any, however I am on very very flat ground. I would dig it out if there was any slope at all. And I just added the sand on top of the dirt/grass. I haven't covered the area in the run that they leave grassy, but once they eat that down I will cover it. The sand is no more than an inch thick in any places. I just shoveled it into piles and then raked it out smooth. I only rake it out once a week because I get so many branches from the trees over my run that it gets hard to walk around in there. I don't have any pictures, but I used construction sand which is grittier and has more rocks.

 

[MamaJohnson]

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Just when I thought all I had left was enjoy the birds... My run is 39x15 ...

 

[mrsgibber]

Maybe run some boards along the bottom of the run to keep it in??? I'm in the same boat with a very large run!