Wrong sand in the run! Help!

[Finznfowl]

Ive had a bad day! First thing this morning I busted my head on the corner of my chickens nesting box! I saw stars! So I did some reading a while back when I first got my chickens and read that sand in a chicken run must be construction sand... well fast forward to this crappy day, it's been raining nonstop for two weeks, I've had to pull up half my plants in the garden and throw them away... the chicken coop is a mess, and there's an old pile of sand in the back yard. So I throw a couple wheel Barrows full of sand in the coop. I sit down and start to relax and it dawned on me that the sand I used isn't the right kind! It's not powdery play sand but its definitely not the medium course construction sand. It's fairly fine and almost like it has some clay mixed in. I'm beginning to think I've got a concussion, I can't believe I did this! What should I do??? Theres no way I can get it all out so should I just leave it and hope for the best? I did sprinkle some gravel around on top but I doubt that will do much good. Help please!

 

[aart]

the chicken coop is a mess, and there's an old pile of sand in the back yard. So I throw a couple wheel Barrows full of sand in the coop.

The coop or the run?
If rainwater is flooding the chicken area, it needs to be 'fixed.
Tossing sand in is rarely a viable solution.

Pics of your set up would help here.

Also.....Welcome to BYC! @Finznfowl
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Finznfowl]

Oh yea, I didn't cover the entire run with the sand, its only about 1/4 of the run. Theres also a place of the original dirt ground and a grassy area.

 

[Banana01]

Sand is good because of drainage, when it gets wet it drains water quickly and so it's better than mud. Clay is also a good material but it gets muddy and can grow mold. I think your run will be fine.

The only problem with a fine sand would be possible dust inhalation in dry windy conditions. Or if you intended it to be grit but it's too fine, you can add a layer if thicker sand to mix with it. I have rocky sand and clay in my property and neither is perfect, but works. I use a fine sand in brood boxes for cleanliness, and they also dust bathe in sand.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

If it were me, I’d add a bunch of natural, washed, coarse grain river sand from my local quarry on top of the finer stuff - just so your Flockers get some coarse grains mixed in. They’ll mix everything up with their scratching and dust bathing, so it’s all good! Oh yeah, and I’d also “have my head examined!” Glad you’re okay.

Here’s what our sand looks like:

We have nasty clay soil, so hubby just dug down six inches or so, built a frame of 2” by 12” boards, put it all together and filled it with the sand. Now it stays dry and loose all year long. The roof is metal, except for the last eight feet. That’s covered with a reinforced tarp supported by a pvc frame that’s like a half circle.

I leave the tarp up all year but remove the plastic siding. Works well to keep everything nice and dry.

 

[Finznfowl]

Sand is good because of drainage, when it gets wet it drains water quickly and so it's better than mud. Clay is also a good material but it gets muddy and can grow mold. I think your run will be fine.

The only problem with a fine sand would be possible dust inhalation in dry windy conditions. Or if you intended it to be grit but it's too fine, you can add a layer if thicker sand to mix with it. I have rocky sand and clay in my property and neither is perfect, but works. I use a fine sand in brood boxes for cleanliness, and they also dust bathe in sand.

Thanks for the quick reply! I got to thinking and the existing ground/dirt compacts worse than the sand does which, compaction was my biggest fear by adding the sand. Heck, I dug some potatoes up yesterday and when the dirt dried it was like concrete. So if they haven't had any compaction issues with the existing dirt I don't see how the sand would be any worse. Also the sand isn't fine enough to have any dust concerns so I think maybe I freaked out over nothing. I did add some grit, and tomorrow I'll go get plenty more to mix in with it. I might go ahead and mix some oyster shell in too, or is that not a good idea?

 

[Grandmas Coop]

its fine, you can always go back and add ore of the one you want and its the run, it will
get all mixed in quick.

 

[Finznfowl]

Thank you aart, my apologies for the lack of introduction, it's been a rough couple of days here. I meant the chicken run, I'll take some pictures as soon as it quits raining! it's not actually flooding, it's just muddy and I wanted to try to provide a better draining, quicker drying area for the chickens since it won't stop! I'm on the coast of North Carolina. Hopefully its just a passing cloud and I can get some pictures up soon.

 

[Finznfowl]

Very nice! I'm gonna get some course stuff tomorrow to mix in with what I've got. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Chicnbones]

Ive had a bad day! First thing this morning I busted my head on the corner of my chickens nesting box! I saw stars! So I did some reading a while back when I first got my chickens and read that sand in a chicken run must be construction sand... well fast forward to this crappy day, it's been raining nonstop for two weeks, I've had to pull up half my plants in the garden and throw them away... the chicken coop is a mess, and there's an old pile of sand in the back yard. So I throw a couple wheel Barrows full of sand in the coop. I sit down and start to relax and it dawned on me that the sand I used isn't the right kind! It's not powdery play sand but its definitely not the medium course construction sand. It's fairly fine and almost like it has some clay mixed in. I'm beginning to think I've got a concussion, I can't believe I did this! What should I do??? Theres no way I can get it all out so should I just leave it and hope for the best? I did sprinkle some gravel around on top but I doubt that will do much good. Help please!

Aww I’m yep! That’s a sucky day… take a deep breath and say there’s no emergency here , one day at a time. Do what you can and just start removing it. Once it is removed you can redo it and restore to brand new! get your eggs in a row and add appropriate sand ( river not silica). You and your chickens will have happier days ahead. Hope your noggin feels better soon