# Adding sand to pens.



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Rainy weather earlier this week prevented me from adding sand in the main chicken pen. This morning I moved one cubic yard from my truck into one section and raked it out. Altogether it took 1hr 30mins.
Now we're having record heat and expecting the same next week when I add two more cubic yards into the other section of the pen. 
I hope this doesnt become a semi annual event.
Here are before and after pics. The last pic is looking into main section where I'll be adding more sand next week:


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

That looks awesome! !


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

Wow! That is fantastic!

Your sand is a funny color though


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Very nice! I love it! But I have all the sand I need and more.


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

My sand is a blackish gray.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Alaskan said:


> My sand is a blackish gray.


Right. I've seen different colors of sand around the world when I was in the Navy. It's strange to see black sand on a beach.
Around here, there are 3 or 4 different colors of sand with varying coarseness. As a matter of fact, two weeks ago I added a 1.5 cubic yard of white sand in the smaller pen next to the main pen.
The only reason I had to add sand was due to the constant hard rains we had back in August and September. The hard rains beat the sand into the soil. Then the main pen flooded with 3-4 inches of standing water due to the saturated soil. 
I initially had only added one cubic yard to the main pen after the chickens wiped out the grass. I hope two yards will do the trick come rainy season next time.
The Black Stars were inspecting the work I did lol.


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

It gas been raining non stop up here. No puddles in my run, but it it pure mud. -blach-


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

My coop is a lake right now. I raked the poo out of the coop and put fresh hay and some scratch so my girls would have something to do instead of just setting on the roost. We're at 4 inches since about 7am and its 630 pm and still raining!


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## 8hensalaying (Jun 5, 2015)

Looks like the creek sand we get around here. Looks great!


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## MichaelA69 (Sep 5, 2015)

I use sand in my yard too, except the yard is on a slope where some sand is washed out during storms. One of these days I will till the hell out of that yard and add even more sand. Nothing is worse than a muddy chicken yard. All you end up with is sick, dirty birdies, and dirty eggs.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

MichaelA69 said:


> I use sand in my yard too, except the yard is on a slope where some sand is washed out during storms. One of these days I will till the hell out of that yard and add even more sand. Nothing is worse than a muddy chicken yard. All you end up with is sick, dirty birdies, and dirty eggs.


Just a thought: Maybe adding rocks about the size you see at railroad tracks, then filling sand over the rocks will help drain/absorb the water better into the soil....kinda like a drain field. I've done that with an a/c drain during rainy season and it worked great, preventing water back up in the a/c closet drain receptacle. However if it was a large scale task, cost might be a factor, maybe tractor/ backhoe work too. Grrr.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Well if you are going to dig, you can dig a trench, put a drainage pipe in, cover it with gravel or rocks. 

Dawg, you bring up some memories. I had clay/loam in NY. No sand. I had a horse in the back on about 50x60 feet. I started ordering sand , I would order about 5-10 yards. I would have to spread it. The pile was over my head. But it was a good thing and lasted a few years, greatly reduced the urine smell, and was cleaner. Behind my house was a dead end road. The county put a pile of dirt back there to keep the cars out of there (the dirt roads back there were nice). But we had days of hard rain one time and the water got so deep back there it was about knee deep. I couldn't get my hay delivery and had to store hay on the driveway with a tarp. 

On this property, no matter how much it rains, I get no puddles, nothing.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Here is what is coming today .We've been hammered with the rain this year.Next summer I'll have to work on some covered areas in the run.


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## MichaelA69 (Sep 5, 2015)

dawg53 said:


> Just a thought: Maybe adding rocks about the size you see at railroad tracks, then filling sand over the rocks will help drain/absorb the water better into the soil....kinda like a drain field. I've done that with an a/c drain during rainy season and it worked great, preventing water back up in the a/c closet drain receptacle. However if it was a large scale task, cost might be a factor, maybe tractor/ backhoe work too. Grrr.


That's a good idea, Jim. When I built my coop, I packed down 3/4 crushed rock where I set my concrete piers to avoid settling. I also surrounded drainage pipe with crushed rock underground. I set it where the terrain levels off in the yard. Chickens end up scattering gravel around, and I don't really want too much in the yard since it is hard on their feet.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Michael, that sounds very nice. 

The other way is the poor man's way. You take a hoe or shovel and dig a shallow trench in the dirt at the low spots. Someone I knew with a horse did that . 

I need to figure out how to get a truckload of manure back to my sand.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I added two more cubic yards of sand to the pen this morning, getting it built back up slowly but surely. I've got half a pen to go, probably 1.5 cubic yard to finish it up next week. Altogether it's going cost me about $100, not to mention a sore back and sore feet....waahhhh! LOLOL. Record heat here this week and into next week...upper 80's, low 90's. Some of you northern folks PLEASE send us cooler temps!!


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## 8hensalaying (Jun 5, 2015)

I'll send you some cooler temps, if you will send me some sunny days so we can get this danged coop finished!! I swear someone put a rain curse on me lol. Love the way you did the pavers below your waterer and feeder btw! Whole set up looks great!


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

8hensalaying said:


> I'll send you some cooler temps, if you will send me some sunny days so we can get this danged coop finished!! I swear someone put a rain curse on me lol. Love the way you did the pavers below your waterer and feeder btw! Whole set up looks great!


You gotta deal! LOL


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

Dang that looks good! -drool-


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

Looking at your pictures makes me want to get outside and get back to working on our coop! I love the look of yours, thanks for the pictures/motivation!


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## MichaelA69 (Sep 5, 2015)

It is an ideal setup to keep drinkers and feeders from getting dirty. That prevents lots of digestive problems. I keep my drinkers up on cinder blocks, and a platform for the shorter ones to still hop up and get a drink. I get chicks familiar with hanging feeders while still in the brooder.


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