Sand in coops and runs. BAD IDEA!

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good article.... thanks for sharing. I used to be a reptile breeder back before I got into birds and I shared those concerns back then for reptiles as the article says for chickens.... I just couldn't picture sand being good for birds.
 
I agree with this. I switched to sand 3 years ago after reading all the glowing reports on here and some other people's websites and I have been sorry every since. I have also lost 6 chickens since switching over to sand. One was old, but the others were not. Don't know if it was sand related or not but since most of my chickens always lived to be at least 8 or 9 years old when I was using the deep litter method, I find it suspicious. I am currently building and new coop and we will be going back to pine shavings or straw and the deep litter method.
 
I have never tried sand in my coop or run, and can't imaging any benefits, at least for my flock. Scoop with a litter scoop daily??? You must be kidding!
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I've got a full time job and a lot of chickens, and deep shavings are just right for me. I have sandy soil, and the birds free range out there daily. Close enough for me. Mary
 
Unfortunately, I got taken in by all the glowing comments about sand and poop boards. If you have more than a couple chickens and a small coop, it is a pain in the neck. I have health issues and I do not want what energy I do have to be used up by scooping poop each day. I cannot wait to be rid of the sand and get back to deep litter.
 
Wise Woman said:
Unfortunately, I got taken in by all the glowing comments about sand and poop boards. If you have more than a couple chickens and a small coop, it is a pain in the neck. I have health issues and I do not want what energy I do have to be used up by scooping poop each day. I cannot wait to be rid of the sand and get back to deep litter.
Click to expand...
I put a poop tray in my coop with sand and pdz in it. I wouldn't have it any other way now after having several coops. I don't scoop it every day though, I can get by with twice a week and that's with 14 chickens in a 6x10 coop. The tray is under the 2 eight foot roosts, they're ladder stepped one above the other. Like I said, I scoop the poop twice a week. I get a coffee can about 3/4 full each time. Takes 8 to 10 minutes and I'm done.

I can't imagine having to do a whole coop and run though, no way in the world I want to have to do that much. I do deep litter in the run and let the chickens do the turning, LOL
 
I use a sand/PDZ mix as brooder bedding and have never had any problems shown in that article.
I also use it in the roost boards, sifting them clear every 2-3 days, only takes about 10-15 minutes at the very most.
I use a cleaned and kiln dried bagged sand.

Larger scale like coop floors and runs, I would agree it's not a good idea for many reasons.
The brooder bedding does get saturated with pulverized poop which can not be separated,
so I use it to fill holes in the yard after a couple batches of chicks.
 

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