Sand or dirt?

That sounds reasonable I actually STILL have a grassy run because it's large and my girls get out to freerange in my yard quite a bit. I like that the run looks nice w/grass, but I don't like that I have to pretty much put on a latex glove and go around picking up poop in the run every couple of days, because my rake just misses so much. So I think sand would be much easier to clean...I just like the more natural looking environment of grass.

 

I let my girls kill all the grass in the run and then I added sand. The flies have been almost 0 and the smell is minimal. (meaning I can only smell it once in a while) Be sure to clean it out though once a week..... I wasn't able to clean mine one week and phew!

 

about every two years, we dig our run down about 6 inches and refill with sand...DRAINAGE....so occasional treatments with lime keep the odor down..and it stays relatively dry..those of is in suburban areas who don't have the land need to do some work to accomodate the birds....our run is about 30x70 feet for 20 birds...free range is not possible as the coyotes are always waiting for a free chicken!

 

Sand! Sand! and More Sand!!! Sand drains the water away. And chickens love a good sand bath. Sand is easier to clean up and to turn over. Get sand. About 3 inches. You'll be much, much happier.

 

Playsand? or Silica? What can I expect to pay for a bag? 20lbs? 40lbs? or what....

 

No, not play sand. Go down to your local landscaping yard and if you have a pickup truck get a scoop of course sand. Sometimes it's referred to as creek sand. It should cost something less than $25 for a scoop which is a half ton. If you don't have a pickup or know someone who does then have them to deliver it, but you should be aware that will probably add another $25+ to the bill. Tell them the dimensions of the area you want to cover and make sure they give you enough for about 3 inches deep over the entire area. You'll save way more doing it this way instead of trying to buy sand in bags.

 

So, I'm just going to add another option to the mix that has worked well for me thus far. I have a large sweet gum that drops a gazillion leaves in the fall. I have been adding those dried leaves weekly to the run. They love to spread them out, then they trample them into dirt. No smell, and this is a suburban yard. I am beginning to run out of leaves, however. I'm thinking this fall I'll be raking up the neighbors leaves as well. So, if you have some large deciduous trees...