Anyone use SAND in the run/coop

[rguerra75]

My enclosure is about 12 x 16. I have a little store bought chicken house along the back wall. I used landscape garden stones and made a sand pit in the corner. It comes out from the corner about 4 ft and then across (like a large triangle) My chickens love it when I rake it and get the sand all loose for them. I made two more smaller ones under the little chicken house. In the summer all of them find their favorite spot and almost bury themselves in the loose sand. I have decomposed granite on the floor of the rest of the coop. It drains so good. Only part of it is covered. The sand areas are covered. Before we covered part of it the large sand had full morning sun. The chickens loved it. I did not cover the entire coop with sand because I walk around in it a lot and the sand was all over my shoes. I can use my ipad and insert a picture if you want to see it. It's raining here right now so I'm not sure how good it will look.

I would love to see a picture if you can upload it

 

[Chickenlady2013]

i just started using cement sand in my coop. i noted that after the rain and cold, its pretty hard. is this normal?

 

[jtbass2756]

i just started using cement sand in my coop. i noted that after the rain and cold, its pretty
hard. is this normal?
I get my sand from a contractor so i assume its like yours but i havent had any problem..sorry i couldn't help!

 

[seann]

Does it matter which kind of sand sold from home depot?

All purpose sand
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lb-All-Purpose-Sand-115251/100318450
$2.46 per 50lbs

Play sand
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lb-Play-Sand-111351/100318476
Considerably more expensive $4.72 per 50lbs

Thanks.

 

[jboettner]

what do you use to scoop with? Does a kitty litter scoop work or do you rake the poop in a pile and remove with a shovel. We just put sand in the hen house and used the course "Tube Sand" that they are selling for extra weight when driving in the snow. All we could find on short notice as we were trying to get the new coop livable before we left town for Christmas. The girls did fine but now I need to clean and am looking for any tips.

Thanks

Brad

 

[chicken Queen]

what do you use to scoop with? Does a kitty litter scoop work or do you rake the poop in a pile and remove with a shovel. We just put sand in the hen house and used the course "Tube Sand" that they are selling for extra weight when driving in the snow. All we could find on short notice as we were trying to get the new coop livable before we left town for Christmas. The girls did fine but now I need to clean and am looking for any tips.

Thanks

Brad

I use a kitty litter scooper . Works great. I keep a small wast basket near where I do the scoop and put in there. take to the garden for compost.

 

[sled483]

I am getting my first chickens in April. I will be getting an 8x8 shed for their coop with a plywood floor. I live in Massachusetts. Can I use sand inside my coop instead of shavings? Will sand be ok in the winter? If sand isn't good for New England winters can I cover the sand with plastic sheeting and use pine shavings during the winter instead of having to remove the sand? I love how easy everyone says it is to clean and would really like to go with sand.

 

[FrogEggs]

Can you skip the plywood floor? For the sand to work best, it needs to be in contact with the dirt, so it can wick away moisture, and break things down properly.

I have an 8x8 shed/coop my husband built me, with a dirt floor and hardware cloth over that, and several inches of sand on top. I have a poop board under the roosts, and use a small hoe to clean the poop board (scraping everything into a bucket). For cleaning the sand floor, I use a giant kitty-litter scoop, made from a manure rake covered in hardware cloth.

I am in southern Colorado, so I have no experience with New England winters, but do not cover your sand with plastic. The chickens WILL destroy it, and you don't want them to eat it. As long as you choose a breed of chicken that can handle your weather, there is no need to cover the sand with anything in the winter. Chickens handle the cold better than you think. It is the heat you have to worry about. As long as they are protected from drafts (and large combed chickens protected from frostbite - vaseline on the combs helps in extremely cold temperatures), they should be fine.

 

[FinnIslander]

Question: I have three types/sizes of sand readily (and freely) available to use in my coop and run. All contain bits of clam shells. Since I've never done this before I'm wondering which size/texture would be the best to use. The fine, medium, or coarse? Any and all input will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bella Blue]

I am using kid's playground sand in my coop and it made a huge difference in cleanliness of my girls feet they were quite muddy before.its mix of small med grains of sand and I found it easy to clean bird dook off w a rake. I would bet the larger grain sand you have shown might get dug around in if they go for the shell pieces which isn't bad but the rest of that looks quite pokey and stabby to me.

While chickens don't have the most soft or tender feet I chose mine keeping in mind they will be walking on it all day so I opted for softer (finer)sand to not hurt or wear on their feet.they tend to love to rly run around in their coop and flight area and kick up dirt and sand when doing so. The finest sand would probably take more to cover an area so personally I'd go for the mid ranged myself.