What's in YOUR run: sand, dirt, pine nuggets, etc?

[kuntrygirl]

Sand in some and dirt in some.

 

[sadies chicks]

I use pine nuggets on one side and shavings on the other, they like to nest in the shavings. I use the pine nuggets where their food/water and it keeps their dishes much cleaner (I was constantly freaking out when they were smaller when their water would get clogged with the shavings). I am thinking of doing a nugget/sand mixture to see how they like that too.

 

[Wink]

I'm a sand girl, for both run and coop. I notice a smell, but not overwhelming (but ive got a keen nose). Covered run, I scoop out the coop but not the run yet, use both DE and sweet PDF (or whatever it's called), but I like the sand set up!

 

[Capvin]

My run is 8 feet x16 feet for 6 chicks. It is covered. Where we are in Central Florida the ground is fine sand and that is what is in my run. I did put down some grass in about a third of the run but the chicks seem to prefer the sand. Very easy to maintain. Don

 

[baha54]

i am very new at all this chicken stuff and am in the process of having someone build me a chicken coop and need some assistance.

I have read what all have been putting in their runs for the chickens mostly sand or pine shavings , however, when u say ur using sand i understand as well as with the pine shavings, where i am confused is are u all talking about those two being used in the run itself or is it for both the coop where the girlie girls sleep and the run and if it isnt what do u put down for the girls in the coop itself. i have heard great suggestions of linoleum first and then put in ur pine shavings but i need clarification on that matter. it would seem to me to put sand in the coop area where they sleep and lay eggs would be very messy to clean. also how often do u change the pine shavings in the nesting boxes as i would assume the girlie girls poop in there too. I know it all may sound stupid what i am asking but i am new and waiting for the coop to be finished to then proceed doing all the things u need to do before chicks go in there and live. thanks, maria

 

[OregonChickie]

We are also new to the chicken thing but the coop is done and the girls are spending their days out there. The covered coop has a little pine shavings and a lot of straw in it. I would probably not go with the straw again, very hard to clean and get the poop out. The run (which is also covered) has a hard packed sand and dirt floor. Over that, we added some pine shavings and some leaves for them to play in. They love exploring in the run. I wish they had some grass in there but I know they would just destroy it and once they are allowed to free range some, they will have some grass.

 

[anotheregglady]

We have a run that is half covered and half open. The ground is what ever was under the vegetation when we built. It did not take long for them to scratch the vegetation into dirt. I have added sand to the run that we collected from the local river bank. I rake it 1 or 2 times a year and have no problem with smell. The hens like to scratch and have favorite spots to take dust baths. There is also a tree stump that they like to dig around.
In the coop we use straw for the floor and in the nest boxes. We have boards underneath the roost to catch the bulk of the droppings and use a wide paint scrapper to clean the boards about once a week. The next boxes and the floor get cleaned out about every other week and that is all thrown in the compost bin. We don't put down much straw on the floor in the summer as they are outside most of the time. In the winter we use more for insulation. Hope this helps.

 

[banananutmuffin]

Hm. Well, right now it's grass. I'll be moving them outside in mid-May. Perhaps I'll just see how it goes before I add sand. I can always add it, but it's a lot harder to take away....

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
Me too. During rainy weather, I sometimes deep-rake it to help it dry out and not get compacted.

 

[BoltonChicken]

A half century ago when I was a teenager, my Dad had some sixty chickens which were kept in a fenced area of the barn. The floor was dirt, and the covering was pine shavings/sawdust.
This is the covering of choice in the south, since there is plenty of this stuff around, and it is what I will use in my run (nearing completion). The only problem back then was that every quarter or so,
it would have to be scooped out, and being the teenager, I was the one that had to do it. There is nothing that will make a hot August day more memorial that loading a couple of tons of chicken
manure. The ammonia keeps you from passing out.