Should anything go under the sand?

[lesliealaine]

I plan on making an A-frame coop from an old swing set. The top half will be the nesting area/shelter and the bottom half will be the run. I plan on putting pine shavings in the shelter and sand in the run, however, I'm not sure if anything should go under that. Can I leave bare dirt? Or should there be some sort of liner?

 

[4 the Birds]

I would leave it dirt. This way andy rainwater will drain. Your birds may scratch down areas will the dirt will be exposed to dirt bathe but that should be OK.

 

[arcatamarcia]

Depends on if you are worried about rodents. They will tunnel under the walls to get to any food in the run. If you put hardware cloth under the sand, that will keep them out. Or you can bring the food in at night. If the area is wet when it rains, you can put gravel under the sand which will help with drainage. Otherwise, I'd just put the sand on bare dirt.

 

[lesliealaine]

Good to know. Thanks for the help!