How to optimize a very sandy run

[Ragfrey]

South Louisiana.
12 hens in future.

I am currently building a 8x8 coop with windows on the east/west/south walls and a large screen/wire wall that can be enclosed on the north wall. The roof will be tin with approx 4 inches off the rafters for more ventilation. The run is 14x28.

The area I am building was in a 1-1/2 foot depression under 3 oak trees. This area always held water when it rained so I hauled in about 5yds of river silt to build it up. I enclosed the river silt with brick as boundaries. When shoveling the river silt it appeared to be dirt but over the last week of building the coop, I noticed the river silt has dried out and it is more sand that any kind of dirt. I would venture to say that the 14x28 run has a floor of 1 foot of sand now.

I have been doing a lot of reading and research for the most optimal floor material for the run. I see that a lot of folks disapprove of having an all sandy run for many different reasons. The hens can’t get a foot hold, they sink when walking/running/jumping. It can cause injuries to the hens feet from the unstable surface, etc….

So if this sandy floor is not good for my future hens health, what should I add to it to make it better? Straw, pine shavings, hemp, grass clipping from mowing?? I am completely new to this and have no idea.

Your suggestions would be highly appreciated!!

 

[SourRoses]

It's news to me that sand could be a dangerous substrate. All of ours are on mostly sand and everyone is fine.

The main concern with sand is drainage. Because water doesn't evaporate off the top, it quickly sinks to the bottom. If the surface under the sand doesn't drain well that can make for a stinky mess. It can also breed bad microbes and coccidiosis.
About the only natural substrate I can think of being that difficult underneath is clay, or already saturated ground.

But if the drainage is decent, there's a lot to like about sand. Including poop that dries out quickly and smells less. And birds happy with their dust bath options
I suggest you try it out, and if you do experience problems in your environment, get a load of coarse wood chips to dump on top.

Since you have those oaks (yay!) it's most likely a well draining area that was only filling up due to the elevation.

 

[Ragfrey]

It's news to me that sand could be a dangerous substrate. All of ours are on mostly sand and everyone is fine.

The main concern with sand is drainage. Because water doesn't evaporate off the top, it quickly sinks to the bottom. If the surface under the sand doesn't drain well that can make for a stinky mess. It can also breed bad microbes and coccidiosis.
About the only natural substrate I can think of being that difficult underneath is clay, or already saturated ground.

But if the drainage is decent, there's a lot to like about sand. Including poop that dries out quickly and smells less. And birds happy with their dust bath options
I suggest you try it out, and if you do experience problems in your environment, get a load of coarse wood chips to dump on top.

Since you have those oaks (yay!) it's most likely a well draining area that was only filling up due to the elevation.

Great News!!

Thanks so much for your reply.
I now have the walls up and working on the roof. I dont think I’ve been this excited in a while.

 

[mossyoakpro]

South Louisiana.
12 hens in future.

I am currently building a 8x8 coop with windows on the east/west/south walls and a large screen/wire wall that can be enclosed on the north wall. The roof will be tin with approx 4 inches off the rafters for more ventilation. The run is 14x28.

The area I am building was in a 1-1/2 foot depression under 3 oak trees. This area always held water when it rained so I hauled in about 5yds of river silt to build it up. I enclosed the river silt with brick as boundaries. When shoveling the river silt it appeared to be dirt but over the last week of building the coop, I noticed the river silt has dried out and it is more sand that any kind of dirt. I would venture to say that the 14x28 run has a floor of 1 foot of sand now.

I have been doing a lot of reading and research for the most optimal floor material for the run. I see that a lot of folks disapprove of having an all sandy run for many different reasons. The hens can’t get a foot hold, they sink when walking/running/jumping. It can cause injuries to the hens feet from the unstable surface, etc….

So if this sandy floor is not good for my future hens health, what should I add to it to make it better? Straw, pine shavings, hemp, grass clipping from mowing?? I am completely new to this and have no idea.

Your suggestions would be highly appreciated!!

My entire run is sand too...It is much easier to keep clean. About once a week I let the fluffers out to do their free range excursion, close the door(or they'll come be nosey) and spread barn lime in the entire enclosure....then I rake that in and I don't have any smell whatsoever. My coop is fairly close to my house so having a smell is not an option for me. All of mine seem to be happy and healthy!!

What is amazing to me is after I rake the entire run and let the chickens back in....they will walk on every single inch of that thing...even the corners!! Guess they are looking for something??

 

[Ragfrey]

Great information!!

My entire run is sand too...It is much easier to keep clean. About once a week I let the fluffers out to do their free range excursion, close the door(or they'll come be nosey) and spread barn lime in the entire enclosure....then I rake that in and I don't have any smell whatsoever. My coop is fairly close to my house so having a smell is not an option for me. All of mine seem to be happy and healthy!!

What is amazing to me is after I rake the entire run and let the chickens back in....they will walk on every single inch of that thing...even the corners!! Guess they are looking for something??

So do you use a poop scooper to remove the chicken droppings that you rake in the sand with the barn lime?

 

[mossyoakpro]

Great information!!


So do you use a poop scooper to remove the chicken droppings that you rake in the sand with the barn lime?

Yes ma'am...I found a long handled kitty scooper to pick them up. I scoop up the obvious then when I rake the ones I miss get picked up when I get them in a pile. Personally I'm a fan of the sand because of the ease of maintenance. That and the poop boards are a game changer for me...

 

[Ragfrey]

I just found this very informative article.

https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/sand-chicken-coop-bedding

 

[mossyoakpro]

I just found this very informative article.

https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/sand-chicken-coop-bedding

I'm planning to change my coop bedding to sand as soon as my pine shavings are gone. I still have several months worth right now. Fortunately my neighbor is building a house and the builder ordered too much sand to use for mortar and I ended up with about 4 tons of construction sand for free!! Just took my dump trailer and tractor over and moved it to it's new home at my house.

 

[LawrenceDuLac]

My entire run is sand too...It is much easier to keep clean. About once a week I let the fluffers out to do their free range excursion, close the door(or they'll come be nosey) and spread barn lime in the entire enclosure....then I rake that in and I don't have any smell whatsoever. My coop is fairly close to my house so having a smell is not an option for me. All of mine seem to be happy and healthy!!

What is amazing to me is after I rake the entire run and let the chickens back in....they will walk on every single inch of that thing...even the corners!! Guess they are looking for something??

I liked your idea of the barn lime. I think my birds consumed all the vegetation in the run in two days. I since put down sand thinking it would drain, keep things dry, but even on high ground it doesn’t seem to be working. I have odors and lots of flies. I’m going to lock my flock down while I shovel out the sand, lay down your suggestion of the barn lime, then add a couple inches of smooth river gravel and see how that fares. A farm that I bought three pullets from a few weeks ago had a similar substrate in their run- and while they had a thousand birds running around- it was clean and dry.

 

[aart]

then add a couple inches of smooth river gravel and see how that fares.

I would not do this^^^ @LawrenceDuLac
The space between the stones will gather poop and the water flowing thru them will crate as much if not more 'stink' than the sand....
.....and they will be much more difficult to remove.