Sand questions

[dreamwallaby]

This is my second spring with this coop and run and since my chickens have dug A LOT in the run I am having mud problems. The run is on a slope and the water runs away from the coop but I am still getting this mud spot. The smell and flies have also kicked up seriously this spring. I want to put sand in the coop. Do I need to put anything else down first or can I throw a few inches down ontop of the dirt? I am going to mix some DE in with the dirt(if I can get the DE food grade, I can't spend $50 for shipping, so we'll see) and I hung two fly traps.
What else can I do to help with the smell and get rid of flies?
Why can't I use playsand? i read a few posts that said no, but they didn't say why. It's safe for my kids and bearded dragons, why not the chickens?
Thank You
Stacy

 

[dreamwallaby]

****** The RUN, not the coop. I want to put sand in the run.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Long time ago, when we first had chickens, we would put down a layer of sand or pea-gravel in the chicken yard. We had a sizeable flock of layers and broilers. After a few months the yard was compossed of a packed layer of fecal material that had a noticable smell. When it rained or the weather became wet for any length of time the chicken yard became a stinky smelly mudd hole with the birds covered in muck as they went about their business in the yard.

Things chanhed considerably the last time that I had chickens. I lined the run with scattered lawn clippings during the spring and summer and I'll throw in the refuse from last year's garden. In the fall I mow up my leaves and put the shredded leaf litter in the run as well. The chickens work this material continously as they look for worms and grubs. By spring I have a nice quality compost that is rich in nutrients to put in my garden or flower beds.

With this composting system; the strong oderous smells are gone and replaced with a pleasant earthy smell. I like pleasant & earthy.

 

[PrincessChicky]

I'll be watching this thread carefully. I anticipate having similar problems with the run on my coop. Currently it is just grass but I know soon enough they'll kill all that and then we'll have dirt!