Wanna see $10 worth of sand?

[ksct]

where did you find sand like that?
It looks like good quality.
And a question about that......
Do the birds like having the sand rather than the grass? I can see where the grass is dying in our run (16'x8') and we do have some sand in the corner for dust bathing. Is it better for them to have all sand? Don't they like digging in the grass etc?

 

[racuda]

Quote:
I found the sand at a local supplier to a concrete company.

At first the chickens were afraid of the sand, but a handful of oats changed their minds.
Grass would be great, but mine only lasted a week or two. Then it was dirt, or mud when it rained. So I thought organic matter would be great - hay, straw, shavings, leaves...but it quickly turned to smelly, disgusting slime.

I had been reading about the virtues of sand so today I took the plunge.

All of that black stinky stuff that I shoveled out of the runs is going to make a GREAT compost heap!

 

[SimplyForties]

Oh great, a concrete company. I hadn't thought of that. I figured you lived in Florida or something. I don't suppose they'd deliver...

 

[peanuts flock]

Quote:
hello sissy, i live in seymour. where do you get your sand? and how much is it?

thanks

 

[Cetawin]

Nice! That is a great price! Out here all I can get is clay or ummm clay. LOL

 

[Birdgirl]

ditto on the clay!

 

[andrea98]

i just gave mine a sandbox over the weekend & it is super easy to get the poops out of ...i still have a nice amount of grass left so i dont wanna do the whole run in sand untill i only have dirt.

 

[allison finch]

I love the sand in my run. It is 10 x8 and I can use a litter box scoop to get the poo up. The dry sand just drains between the tines leaving poo. It is great for keeping the run clean. My chickens were afraid of it at first, too. Now they roll around all over it.

 

[Lensters]

I paid $85 and got 10 yards delivered (after buying 1 yard for $12 and hauling it myself). It filled my 5 8'x12' indoor (in barn?) runs and my outdoor 10' x 12' pen with plenty left to replenish after cleaning for a year or two. It is so easy to clean with a screen made of hardware cloth and what makes it to the compost pile will only help the clay filled garden.

I also sprinkle DE over it after I clean to make sure there are never any bugs.

Oh and the concrete companies that have their own quarry will usually sell and deliver. If not they can put you in touch with the company that owns the quarry. If worse turns to worst then your local nursery can get you setup, though that is usually more expensive. I shopped around and in my case the nursery came in $20 cheaper and they bought it wholesale from the same quarry but delivered it in an old beater dump truck.

 

[Beau coop]

Do you have a "barrier" of some kind that keeps the sand from running out the sides?