smelly, wet run- sand?

[mandelyn]

If you add sand to a wet, stinky run, you will get wet, stinky sand. Sand only works if it's dry. After it gets wet and they walk on it, it will get compacted and will need tilled. Easy if there is a lot of sand, a pain if it is still mostly dirt. Took me about 2 tons worth of sand in an 8x10 run to make it easily tilled with a gravel rake.

We need to change the drainage... the run has settled lower than the surrounding ground and now holds water... I need to add some elevation. Yesterday there was 3 inches of water!

It didn't stink though! I started picking poo up daily instead of weekly... no more stink. Cleaning up the source of the odor is the easiest way to eliminate the odor.

We've gotten over 40 inches of rain this year... I've tried everything. We covered the top of the run, so now the issue is runoff. Until we elevate the floor some way, the cheapest solution is daily cleaning.

Or get ducks. The ducks are just tickled pink.

 

[BlazeJester]

Quote:
I think I have this problem too. The biggest of my issues is that I'm on a rental property and need to leave something that can arguably be returned to grass or used as a garden plot the following year.

I've heard good things about sand and have not given up on leaves... but like you, I need to elevate the run ABOVE the surrounding area as it's now been scratched down to 4" below the surroundings and just holds water forever. I also don't get sunlight on that side of the house. Nothing I can do about it now except make sure ventilation is adequate and substrate is permeable. Hopefully if I get sand down the water will dissipate as the surrounding ground dries.

Thanks for all the input guys!

 

[mandelyn]

We're on a rental property too but have the coolest land lady ever. She wants us to leave the coop if we move! We used screws on everything so that it can be moved or just removed. The sand... it will till into a nice garden spot. The gravel in the duck run though... will need to wash it and add it to the firepit area or something since it has the same sort of gravel. There's 2.8 tons in the duck run!

I was thinking on adding a shelf of board since we already have 1x6's as the base, then running decking, covered with rubber stall mats, then sand thrown on top. That way the sand can be shoveled out, and everything else unscrewed and moveable.

 

[T-Amy]

where do y'all get pine shavings in bulk? I do NOT want to get it by the bag- it would take a LOT to fill up our coop and dry run but I think it would be a matted mess in the run exposed to the elements... yuck..

I have access to a LOT of wood shavings from local Amish wood mills (at $10 a truckload) but it's a mix of wood. However, I don't want to poison my girls as it's probably a mix of hard and soft wood, not JUST pine, if any at all.

So Pine makes THAT big of a difference all the way around, eh?

 

[Mr. Ree]

I buy my shavings at Tractor Supply. I only get large bags, and less than two of them is enough to fill entire side of my coop with 3 inches of shavings. My coop is a 10x18 so it covers a 5x18 area and still have half a bag left. Its only $4.99 per bag. There is a company here close by called Cox Iteriors and they sale pine shavings by the bag as well as by the bulk, but I am not sure what the cost would be. I dont use enough to buy in bulk.


~Casey

 

[T-Amy]

Mr. Ree :

I buy my shavings at Tractor Supply. I only get large bags, and less than two of them is enough to fill entire side of my coop with 3 inches of shavings. My coop is a 10x18 so it covers a 5x18 area and still have half a bag left. Its only $4.99 per bag. There is a company here close by called Cox Iteriors and they sale pine shavings by the bag as well as by the bulk, but I am not sure what the cost would be. I dont use enough to buy in bulk.


~Casey

how many birdies do you have? for comparison purposes, I have 20 & within just a few days it seems like the 'fresh' smell is gone after putting fresh 'litter' (saw dust) down. Do you think Pine will hold up better/longer?​

 

[Mr. Ree]

M birds are seperated in pairs in breeder pens. The pens are 36x42 or something like that. But one pen is a grow out pen and has 1 birds in it. Altogether in my coop we have 24 birds. Cleaned the coop saturday and put in fresh shavings and it still smells VERY strong of fresh pine. Rather nice instead of smelling chicken poo. I have used these shavings before when I had over 150 birds and my coop still smelled like shavings. I generally clean the shavings as needed. I changed them this time for the winter, it wont get changed again till spring, if they need fresh, it gets put in with the old. They need the extra in the winter time if your in a place where its gets below freezing frequently.


~Casey

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

where do y'all get pine shavings in bulk?

See if you can find some horse stables nearby or lumber mills

They often buy shavings buy the truckload​