Sand in the Run?

[Wtrmutt]

I have 20 or 30 bags of sand that I had to level a "blow up" pool and was looking for uses for them. I read a few posts that sand would be good in my run. It is 10 x10, should I spread the sand in there or will I regret it? They have it down to dirt now. Will it be any cooler, hotter? Will it be healthier for them?

 

[ChickChickChicky]

I can tell you of my experience with it. My girls also have (had) a dirt run, and since I had lots of sand I decided to try it in there. I spread it about 1-3 inches thick. So far I am happy with it. It is easy to clean, I just use a rake to clean it up about once or twice a week. My runs are covered with half clear and half tinted corrugated plexiglass, they get some sun but not full day, plus the girls have alot of room under the coop to lounge in the shade (it is still dirt under the coop, I didn't feel like trying to get sand under there). I catch the girls often sprawled out in the sand in the sun, so it must feel pretty nice. If your birds don't have access to shade I can see where it might get too hot in the broiling sun. My runs stay FAIRLY dry, so I'm wondering what it might be like in wintertime, but I can't imagine it would be any worse than dirt, as far as being a frozen mess. I'm pretty happy with the sand in the run.

 

[MelissasYard]

I'd love more replies to this post!! I just built my run and bc I'm in the deserts of Reno I have no grass much less any in the new run. I'm sick of stepping on rocks and dirt. Love the idea of sand!

 

[akovia]

I am a fan of Harvey Ussery, who deep litters his hen house and runs. Basically, he, and I, create a compost pile in the run during the summer and fall, and clean it out directly to the gardens the following season. Use roughly 1/3 green stuff"nitrogen heavy chic poop) and 2/3 brown (carbon). I use some of my garden waste, a bit of straw, pine shavings, and loads of fallen leaves. The chicks enjoy the treasures they find all winter long. On rare occasions when there are odors, mixing a little pine shavings in fixes it right up. Our run is 8' x 16' and houses 5 pullets. Don't know how other fowl do in this system.

What i have heard about sand is that the urea part of chic poop gets into the sand and eventually creates ammonia. Respiratory problems are a common result of exposure to ammonia.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

I am a fan of Harvey Ussery, who deep litters his hen house and runs. Basically, he, and I, create a compost pile in the run during the summer and fall, and clean it out directly to the gardens the following season. Use roughly 1/3 green stuff"nitrogen heavy chic poop) and 2/3 brown (carbon). I use some of my garden waste, a bit of straw, pine shavings, and loads of fallen leaves. The chicks enjoy the treasures they find all winter long. On rare occasions when there are odors, mixing a little pine shavings in fixes it right up. Our run is 8' x 16' and houses 5 pullets. Don't know how other fowl do in this system.

What i have heard about sand is that the urea part of chic poop gets into the sand and eventually creates ammonia. Respiratory problems are a common result of exposure to ammonia.

I would only use sand in the run, NEVER in the coop (although some people say they do). I use pine shavings (deep litter) inside the coops and it works great. A couple times a week I throw some scratch in the litter so the girls do all the work of keeping it well-mixed up. Unless the litter somehow gets wet (as in a roof leak, or if the litter doesn't get mixed enough so that poops stay wet) there is NO smell. NO sand inside the coop, ONLY out in the run.

 

[Kjf18]

We have sand in our run, and so far really like it. You do need good drainage to keep it dry. Our soil doesn't drain well, so I first put 18 inches of gravel under the sand.

KJF

 

[nbchickfarming]

We added sand to our shaded, covered run a few weeks ago....
So far easy to clean up, no smell, was grass/dirt mess. The chickens seem to like it.
We're planning on completely replacing the sand when needed, hoping it last a year.
Currently using a kitty litter scoop to clean up- works OK-and adding to our clay soil garden..

My husband was worried about "inviting" termites to our yard with wood shavings on ground.
If you add DE to shavings is that enough to keep termites away? We set everything up on higher ground so drainage is no problem. Definitely like DLM for coop.

 

[Wtrmutt]

Thank you everyone, I really trust the feedback here, the sanding has begun

 

[MemesChicks]

I sanded my run last weekend. I love the difference it makes. My girls were so funny. The first bags I put down were a white sand...the wouldn't walk on it. To get to their treats, the walked along the border, but not even a toe in the sand. So I put a few bags of tan colored sand that my DH had (it was wet, so it was even darker). They were fine with that. Eventually, they were all over all of it.

Thanks for all of the info and tips.

 

[bairo]

I am one who has probably tried it all, LOL
Out of all the combinations of sand, shavings, etc in both the run and the hen house here is what I have finally settled on.

I like sand in the run but discovered that it is much better to use the rough stuff versus play sand because the play sand is all one size granule and will pack down like concrete when it gets wet over time. The rough stuff I mention goes by several names (river sand, construction sand, rough concrete sand) it is the stuff that has all different sized granules as well as small pebbles in it. I paid 8 dollars a ton at a local quarry and used about a ton for each 100 sq.ft. of run space. Chickens always have natural grit and seem really happy on the sand.

I am using a hybrid system in the hen house. The 10x20 converted shed has a double roost along the 20 foot side. That size of a poop board presented it's own problems to build, so I divided the floor instead.

I used 2x8 material stood up on end on the floor and attached with L-brackets to section off 36 inches wide by 20 foot long directly under the roosts. This area I filled with an inch of play sand. I used play sand inside the coop because it will never get wet and is a "cleaned" sand that is not hardly dusty at all. I go in every other day and spend 5 minutes with a kitty litter scoop getting all the poop out. The rest of the coop has an inch of pine shavings in the warmer months and 2-3 inches on the winter. I tried the "deep litter" method but spent twice as much on shavings and delt with twice the smell. Now I only use a couple bags of shavings in the summer every 2 months and 99% of the poop falls in the sand to be scooped up. My coop smells nice and I have nearly zero problems with flies, lice, or mites.