Outdoor Chicken Sandboxes
We all know that chickens love to scratch and dig, but the soil in Utah is extremely hard and mostly clay. We have amended the ground through the years, but it’s still not ideal.
So that is when I had the idea to reuse old wood planter boxes from our vegetable garden and use them as sandboxes. I tested one over the last year, and they loved it.
I can’t have just plain wood boxes; they need a little pizzaz. So let’s add COLOR!
Supplies Needed:
Wooden box frames 2” x 10” x 24” boards - 24” square
Wire Brush
Metal Putty Knife/Drywall Mud Knife
Mixing Cups
Paint Brush
Chip Brush
Disposable Rags (i.e., old socks or torn cotton shirts work great)
MilkPaint™ - Mustard Seed Yellow, Lucketts Green, Teal Ocean
MilkGrip™ Outdoor Preservation Additive (coming soon)
MilkOil™ Outdoor / Tung Oil Blend (coming soon)
Step 1 - Prepare The Chicken Wooden Boxes
We used a metal putty knife as a scraper and a wire brush to remove dirt and debris from the previously used wood boxes. Our weathered boxes are extremely dry, and they just needed a light brushing to clean. We did not need to sand.
Note: We used untreated wood to make our boxes. I don’t want the chemicals they use during the pressure treatment process, which makes the wood water-resistant, in my vegetable garden or my chicken run.
Step 2 - Stain The Chicken Sandboxes With MilkPaint™
We chose to add pops of color with Mustard Seed Yellow, Lucketts Green, and Teal Ocean. Instead of painting the boxes, we decided to stain them. Each color required a different ratio of paint powder to water, ranging from 3 parts water to 1 part paint to 5 parts water to 1 part paint. The stronger ratio of the two was used for Mustard Seed Yellow since we had to combat the already darker weathered wood.
Add MilkGrip™ Outdoor
We also added a new product called MilkGrip™ Outdoor to the already mixed MilkPaint™ and followed the package instructions for mixing ratios. MilkGrip™ Outdoor helps prevent the paint from buckling and blistering in extreme temperatures and weather such as sun and water exposure. It also helps prevent the color from fading with UV light protection in addition to being a mold inhibitor, tannin stain blocker, flame retardant, and bactericide. This new product will be available to the public in the next couple of months.
Step 3 - Let The Chicken Sandboxes Dry Overnight
After applying three coats of the MilkPaint™ stain to each box, we allowed it to dry overnight before sealing our project.
Step 4 - Sealing The Chicken Sandboxes With MilkOil™ Outdoor
The next day we sealed our boxes with MilkOil™ Outdoor, a new product that is a blend of Tung Oil, Pine Essential Oil, and Zinc. It’s all-natural and does not require additional thinning, except for extremely rare situations related to wood type.
We will share more about that when the product is released.
Tung Oil protects the wood by repelling water. Pine Essential Oil is used to thin the oil naturally instead of mineral spirits or other thinning agents. Lastly, the Zinc adds a sunblock, making this a natural powerhouse of outdoor protection for your projects.
We applied multiple coats of MilkOil™ Outdoor with a chip brush until it stopped absorbing, then we wiped back the excess. It may take 3-5 coats, and waiting 30-40 minutes between each coat. Also, work out of direct sunlight as exposure to sunlight may cause flash curing and cause your finish to turn white. You need to allow your project to cure for 7-15 days before light use, and it can take up to 30 days to fully cure.
Note: To prevent combustion, let your rags completely dry before disposing of them. Tung Oil is thick and hard to clean out of brushes. I don’t like using harsh chemicals, so we just tossed the chip brush once it had dried.
Step 5 - Let The Chickens Enjoy!
We raked and leveled out the chicken run before adding the boxes and sand.
Now they have a colorful and helpful area for taking dirt baths and scratching to their heart's content. And we love the pops of color which make the area less boring.
Note: Make sure to use coarse builder-grade sand and not play sand which is too fine for the chickens and can cause issues with breathing.
