What type of sand for my run..

[Going Quackers]

My run is a mud mess(yes, probably been said by a thousand people already lol) from my research, sand is my best bet of the options available.

I do have the run partially covered both with shade tarp and wood to reduce the wet coming in but only so much can be done with it being dirt floored.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
Sand is sand
Use the cheapest you can find, and use a LOT of it

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any kind of sand is OK. It will last a lot longer if you have some type of containment around the bottom of the run so rain won’t wash it away or the chickens don't scratch it out as much.

The only concern I’d have is sand from a saltwater beach. The chickens can’t handle a lot of salt because they don’t have the glands sea gulls and such birds do to remove the excess.

This is just personal preference. I prefer coarser construction-type sand to the really fine play sand. They both work but the construction sand is probably a bit less expensive and they can better use the bigger bits as grit.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
After a couple of rains, there would be little to no salt left in the sand, and they won't be eating it anyway
Seabirds need the gland because they drink salt water

 

[Going Quackers]

Sand is sand
Use the cheapest you can find, and use a LOT of it

Gotcha lol

Any kind of sand is OK. It will last a lot longer if you have some type of containment around the bottom of the run so rain won’t wash it away or the chickens don't scratch it out as much.

The only concern I’d have is sand from a saltwater beach. The chickens can’t handle a lot of salt because they don’t have the glands sea gulls and such birds do to remove the excess.

This is just personal preference. I prefer coarser construction-type sand to the really fine play sand. They both work but the construction sand is probably a bit less expensive and they can better use the bigger bits as grit.

I tried a bag of sand that was a more gravel base, they didn't call it construction though but definitely was more gravel filled than your typical play sand type.

No risk of saltwater, we are only near the lake but i would buy from a source vs finding my own.

Thanks both of you.

 

[chfite]

I used river sand from the landscaping supply company in town. It is coarser than most of the sand around. It was cheaper, too.

Chris

 

[NotableNancy]

We are in the process of building our run and put the sand in it before the roof has been constructed. It rained last night and temp is only in the 30's here - the sand turned extremely hard!
Is that due to the rain/temps or did we use the wrong sand?