6 tons of sand?? Really??? ETA: 4 tons is not much!

[Qi Chicken]

My husband dug the post holes today for the run! I called about sand... We plan on about 300 square feet for the run. How deep should the sand be?? I told the guy 2-3 inches and he said we would need 5-6 tons of sand. 13.50$ per ton (delivered).

Our coop is about 11 x 12. Based on this we could have 30 chickens max. (That seems like that would be a LOT of chicken in there though) so I thought we should make the run 300 square feet. I know the rule about 10 square feet per chicken but in your EXPERIENCE (I have none) do you realistically need more or less than that?? Thanks! Anne

Please answer if you know! I have to call the sand guy before the posts can be cemented!

 

[ellieroo]

Yikes!!

That's what I put down in the horse arena which is 100 by 70 ! Maybe he thought 300 by 300 ??

I'm no good with math but someone will tell you how to figure1 The $$ is high in our area it is 950 a ton but that's going to be different! Good Luck

ps sounds nice!

 

[Qi Chicken]

Whoa! Really? How deep is your sand? 100 x70 is QUITE a bit bigger! Anybody out there know sand math??

 

[PineappleMama]

Would concrete math work? That goes in cubic yards. You can order up a full yard or a 1/2 yard or a 1/4 yard.

Hmmm well, if you knew how much area that 'ton' covers then I could help...

Okay... 300sf... so let's say the thing is 30x10 for argument's sake...

In inches that'd be 360x120 or 43200 square inches... then you'd multiply it by the depth to get your cubic inches

x2" deep=86400 cubic inches
x3" deep=129600 cubic inches

One Cubic Foot = 12x12x12 or 1728 cubic inches so divide your inches total by 1728

x2" deep = 50
x3" deep = 75


One source claims there's appx 20 cubic feet in a ton of sand (depending on grain) so divide your total cubic feet needed by 20

x2" deep need 2.5 tons @13.50 = $33.75
x3" deep need 3.75 tons @13.50 = $50.63

Of course, there may be a minimum order for delivery... in dollars or tons... they may not do partial tons only whole... no telling.

Oh, and keep in mind I flunked out of Algebra I and II the first time I took them... *passes salt cellar*

 

[Imp]

Here's a sand volume calculator

http://www.safesand.com/calc.htm

Seems like a little over a ton should do,

Imp

 

[HelenB]

I don't know sand math specifically, but, if you look at it this way: A cubic yard is 3 x 3 x 3 cubic feet, or 27 cubic feet. If you want 6" deep sand, that is, 1/2 of a cubic foot per square foot, a cubic yard will cover 54 square feet. I forget how sand works out in tons, but, I sort of recall that a cubic foot wieghs about 50 pounds. A ton = 2000 pounds, or, if my lower math without a calculator is working, 40 cubic feet, or 80 square feet at 6" deep, or 160 sq ft at 3" deep. Two tons should do it if my premises all hold.

Have fun with your chickens and coop!
Helen

PS It looks like my estimate is at the high end..... but I'll stand by it for now HB

 

[PineappleMama]

Quote:
Well, I got the cubic feet right... so that's something.

For 2" it says 3750lbs which is 1.875 tons and 3" needs 5625lbs or 2.813 tons

That's allowing 75lbs of sand per cubic foot... as opposed to the 100 lbs per that I was working with.

Guess it really does boil down to what type of sand... ask him how much a cubic foot weighs THERE...
Then you can fill in the blanks more precisely.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Well, I got the cubic feet right... so that's something.

For 2" it says 3750lbs which is 1.875 tons and 3" needs 5625lbs or 2.813 tons

That's allowing 75lbs of sand per cubic foot... as opposed to the 100 lbs per that I was working with.

Guess it really does boil down to what type of sand... ask him how much a cubic foot weighs THERE...
Then you can fill in the blanks more precisely.

That's what happens when I don't read closely. 2400 lbs to fill up the coop.

Imp- I do the same thing with traffic signs.

Thanks PineappleMama

 

[Qi Chicken]

You guys are awesome! Is 3 inches adequate??

Do you think 300 sq feet is big enough for say 25 chickens?? We only have 16 now, but those polish make me laugh.....etc. etc. you know how it goes!

 

[dirtsaver]

Remembering from one of my past lives as a dump-truck driver. We never left the quarry with less than mostly full loads. In the tri-axle I drove that meant 25 tons of material. A single-axle dump will handle 9-10 tons so it sounds like they are giving you a break with a "less than loaded" minimum of 5 tons.

Maybe you can find a spot you can stockpile the excess sand for later use.

Larry