Sand in the run?

[LittleRedCoop]

Hello!
My run has become quite muddy and smelly. I have read about others using sand in their run to neutralize odors and keep the mud away. The run in 4'x8' and I was wondering, how many bags would it take to cover the run? How deep should the sand be? We have considered putting gravel underneath the sand. I also have a 4x4 coop (not a walk-in, though I wish it was!) with a wooden floor. Should I / could I put sand in there too? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[HogbackMtnChickns]

I have sand in my run and in my coop - and I love it. It is easy to clean. I have not had any smell issues - but I live in a very dry climate. My coop is 4 x 8 feet, not a walk in, and it has a wooden floor with vinyl flooring on top of the wood. I bought a sturdy metal kitty litter scooper, and it works well to clean up the coop and run - a little time consuming - but easy. My husband is plotting to make a large shovel into a big kitty-litter scoop by grinding slots into it. I hope this works.

We bought sand from the gravel pit, and loaded it into our trailer - no bags. I'm not sure how much sand you will need.

I put sand in right after we built our coop - so we haven't tried anything else.

Hope this works for you!

 

[LittleRedCoop]

Quote:
I'm glad to hear the success you've had! How deep do you have the sand, approximately? 4 inches? 8? More?

 

[crazyforbirds]

I need to go buy some sand!

 

[Elite Silkies]

I use sand in my coops and it does have a smell when it rains. I mix lime in it and also DE.

 

[LittleRedCoop]

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What is DE? And is there a special kind of lime to use? Powder/Pellets? I once read that lime burns their feet. Have you had this problem?
I apologize for all of the questions. I am new to all of this and I am just trying to learn as much as I can!

 

[Elite Silkies]

I'll have to find out what kind of lime I bought. I made sure it was safe first. It's not commercial grade lime. I haven't had any problems with it. I use in the coops and the run. I do rake it into the sand.

DE helps with odors. You can use both or just one.

 

[LittleRedCoop]

Quote:
x2!

 

[LittleRedCoop]

Elite Silkies, if you could find out what kind of lime you use, that would be great! I appreciate all of the help.

 

[spiritdance]

I have gravel under mine and it helps keep the odor down by promoting drainage. I actually dug some trenches throughout the run before we laid the gravel and tied the trenches into a ditch outside the run. We filled the trenches plus 3 or 4 more inches of gravel, then we put down landscaping fabric, then the sand. When it rains the run dries out pretty quickly so no chance for odor to build up. Of course, with the drought here in Texas you'd never guess the extra work was worth it! Nowadays it's more dust than sand!