Why do people put sand in the run?

[happymom99]

I've read a lot here where people say they put sand in their run and they love it. What is it for?

Thank you,
CJ

 

[patman75]

Sand in the run = no muddy run, clean eggs, less smell and the chickens can dust bathe in it.

I just put it in a few weeks ago and it is great.

 

[crazyhen]

I have put sand in my run, The reasons are many, It drains really well and there is not any mud. Also its easier to rake up trash , poop etc. No sticky muddy feet that could breed bacteria and cocci really bad. Also there is not the odor problem and flies. It looks good too. I have red clay on my hill. Even with good drainage it gets stinky and sticky , and slick in the run. Sand is great there. Now in the coops I use linoleum with wood chips on top. Sand there stayed damp on top of the soil. I floored then linoleumed and I like that much better. Gloria Jean

 

[happymom99]

Ok. That makes sense. How deep do you put it? Also... we're just getting started on my coop and it is going to be a 4x5 enclosure with a 70 sq foot enclosed run that will be partly covered where their food and water will be. This space will be closed up each night and I will let them out of this run and coop area in the morning where they will go into their free-ranging area that is about 500-600 sq feet. I just put the sand in the 70 sq foot part, right?

Thank you,
CJ

 

[patman75]

2-3 inches. more wont hurt.

 

[Thommo]

Just a quick question, is using sand on a concrete base be ok, will it still drain/dry out if it gets wet??

 

[GardenerGal]

Sand on a concrete base should be okay, but it may be more prone to washing away -- so you might want to put some kind of edging around the run, such as 4"-high landscape timbers, plasting lawn edging, or paver blocks, to contain the sand.

Also, if you put down a 2" layer of coarse sand, then put 2" or more of finer sand on top of it, that will help promote drainage. The chickens will of course dig and and mix it up, but that's okay as it will still be good for drainage. You can add more sand to replace what's kicked out.

I have a run that is mostly dirt, and I sweep as needed to remove poop and debris. But a portion of the run is sand: I dug a pit and filled it with sand mixed with woodstove ashes for a dustbath. My run is covered with hardware cloth/mesh and resin trellis (to keep varmints out). A tarp covers the part of the run where the dustbarth pit is, and it keeps the sand dry so the chickens can use their dustbath even on rainy days. If your run is covered with wire, you could try adding a similar rain covering and that might help make sand less prone to getting washed away, and it also will not have as much moisture to have to drain off.

 

[krcote]

Skim this thread, you will soon have your answer!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=444759

 

[CityChook]

I put 3-4 inches of sand in my run each spring. It seems to disappear over the season, but that's okay. I like it because it's easy to rake clean, dries out super fast and seeing the chicken footprints in it makes me laugh. I know, I know...

 

[monsterkx500]

I would like to put sand in my run but I dont think it will stay put on the hill.