Sand Woes…please chime in

[emilyweir]

Hello! So we have a mixed flock of 5 in a small backyard coop. We were renting our house to a family member for 5 months and part of her responsibility was to care for the chickens. We use sand in our run and coop and she did not scoop the poop or mix up the sand once and it was a very wet winter. When we got home yesterday I knew something was wrong because I could smell the chickens when I got out of my car.
Is there any way to salvage the sand or do we just need to shovel it out and replace it? I scooped as much poop as I could and have gone out to till the sand to try to help it dry as well as added some DE to see if that will do anything.

Also, she claims that the chickens molted in January (they hatched exactly a year ago) and that two of them molted within the last few weeks. Is that just due to stress from such squalid living conditions? This morning we checked them for mites and didn’t see any but I know it’s more ideal to check at night.

 

[nuthatched]

I'd get new sand or another material.
Careful with the DE, it's a respiratory irritant for you and your birds, and it won't help for this issue.
It could have been molting into adult plumage at best, lack of water/nutrition or stress at worst.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

I’d replace it. You can probably compost it if you mix it with wood shavings.

I’d ask the family member to pay for the replacement sand.

 

[emilyweir]

I’d replace it. You can probably compost it if you mix it with wood shavings.

I’d ask the family member to pay for the replacement sand.

Luckily we retained a security deposit, thanks for your advise!

 

[emilyweir]

I'd get new sand or another material.
Careful with the DE, it's a respiratory irritant for you and your birds, and it won't help for this issue.
It could have been molting into adult plumage at best, lack of water/nutrition or stress at worst.

I wore a mask and removed them from the area when I mixed in the DE, we have some experience with it from trying to fix a squash bug issue in the past. I didn’t notice it being much of a help and I wasn’t going to keep dumping it in for nothing

Any of those scenarios make sense for molting with the care I’m finding they received. I just thought it was strange that they’d molt twice in such a short period of time.

Thank you!

 

[nuthatched]

I wore a mask and removed them from the area when I mixed in the DE, we have some experience with it from trying to fix a squash bug issue in the past. I didn’t notice it being much of a help and I wasn’t going to keep dumping it in for nothing

Any of those scenarios make sense for molting with the care I’m finding they received. I just thought it was strange that they’d molt twice in such a short period of time.

Thank you!

That's too bad, I'm glad you're home to take care of your ladies.

 

[BDutch]

If the sand is really dirty I would replace it. Where you don’t have a roof and its not too bad you could add chopped wood/ coarse shavings in order to get a more healthy soil.

 

[emilyweir]

That's too bad, I'm glad you're home to take care of your ladies.

You and me both!