Got sand? You should!

[CarolynF]

When we got our hens, we let them free range in our backyard while we prepped the side of the garage for there pen. When we were done, it was just bare dirt. In only a few days time, the flys became unbearable for us. It has been a record high summer here for us in the Pacific Northwest, but that aside, it was no excuse for the volume of flys we had. I researched around, and found posts like this threads original. We swithced to cleaned construction river sand (not play sand), and havn't looked back since.

The flys are hardly noticable now. Cleaning is a breeze in comparison to dirt. I've had other pets, and wood shavings were out. To bulky and annoying to get rid of it. Drainage is amazing as well. The sand will dry well before dirt would ever have dried.

To clean the pen, I took a pitch fork, and zip tied 1/2" x 1/2" wire mesh to it. Like a big kitty litter scoop. It works amazing to pick out the clumps. We put 2" of sand in the pen, and 1.5" in the coop itself. It make cleaning a breeze, and the smell is so much better as well.

Some people worry that sand will harbor bacteria, and be unhealthy. Well I look at it this way. If people have successfully used sand for more then 5 years with out outbreak, or incident, it's good enough for me. Also, because it drains so much better, there is less moisture for bacteria to grow in as well.

Sand!

I've been using sand for 3 years and agree. One reason it performs so well is that during the scooping some of the sand sticks to the poop and gets removed. More sand gets added as needed.

Just want to mention that outdoor sand needs to be kept dry. I learned the hard way that even with daily cleaning, wet sand + chicken poop = cackle spackle that's super smelly and then hardens to become cackle cement. During the first winter (in Western Washington) we quickly added a tarp to the top of their fenced run. It helped but by spring it was obvious it needed improvement. Now it has a translucent roof and everyone is much happier. It's the one and only time we had to shovel out a large amount and replace it with fresh.

 

[Theegoliath]

Just want to mention that outdoor sand needs to be kept dry. I learned the hard way that even with daily cleaning, wet sand + chicken poop = cackle spackle that's super smelly and then hardens to become cackle cement.

I will keep that in mind as we have really only had to deal with a few days of rain. Not the usual winter everyday rain (instead of SNOW), that we are acustomed to here in the PNW. I would say that 1/3rd of the chicken pen is covered either by the new coop itself, or the eves on our house. I have thought about covering the rest, but time will tell if we need to or not.

I like how the sand sticks to the poop. Sand in compost only helps it breath better, and it will eventually get in our garden to help that as well. We love the cycle. Just need one more compost tumbler now haha!

We do need to find some boot cleaners though, to attach outside our doorways to our house. Sand always finds a way in our house lol. Especially when our 3 yr old daughter comes back in from checking on the chickens.

 

[AnnieSantiago]

Does anyone in Portland, Oregon use sand in their coop?
I'm wondering, with all the rain, even though the coop has a roof, how the sand will do in the rainy season.
It could be mighty cold if all that sand gets wet???

I'm going to go back and read this entire thread, but thought perhaps someone might answer before I get through it.

 

[Theegoliath]

Does anyone in Portland, Oregon use sand in their coop?
I'm wondering, with all the rain, even though the coop has a roof, how the sand will do in the rainy season.
It could be mighty cold if all that sand gets wet???

I'm going to go back and read this entire thread, but thought perhaps someone might answer before I get through it.

I grew up in Portland. I now live in Silverdale, Washington. It rains just as much up here as it does down there. The sand dries out quickly, and to help it dry, take a rake and mix it up a bit. My wife and I love the sand over just dirt. Less smell, flies, mess, and so on.

 

[lularat]

I have added sand several times this year. Doesn't take long for the girls to mix it with the dirt and can't tell I have ever added it. I guess it does make the dirt lighter and drains better.

 

[Theegoliath]

We have 2-3" of sand, and I plan on adding more next spring. Some people use 3-6" of sand. Just sprinkling sand down on top and inch or less is not enough sand for it to do its job. All 8 of our girls still have yet to dig down those 2-3 inches to find dirt in the pen. This is with them taking dust baths as well.

 

[LiveInBliss]

Ok, I get the picture. I need to switch to sand. ASAP. Where did you get it?? And what kind of sand do you all recommend?

Thanks a ton! I got flies GALORE!

 

[Theegoliath]

Dispite her current drama if you follow her blog or facebook page, the Chicken Chicks article on Sand is very informative. Take a look:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/chicken-coop-bedding-sand-litter.html

 

[AnnieSantiago]

I would do a lot more research than one article on sand.
There are many differing opinions.
Some say sand harbors viruses.
Just sayin'

 

[Theegoliath]

Quote:
I think you were mistaken. I researched sand for 3 weeks before I made my decision. Her article just simply states the whys and hows about sand, and is available for all to read. Her article is not the main reason I am using sand. From what I could tell after researching the pros and cons, the community seems split 40-60% ish (my observation) about using sand for chickens. 40% against, 60% for. There are a lot of people who don't use it because of what they "heard" about the posibility for harboring mites, and bacteria. Versus all of the articles I read from people who have actually used it for years (5+), none of them said they had any issues what so ever. Some people actually spend money to use PDZ or other horse stall forms of litter. Or mix PDZ with sand as I read 3 people doing to simply cut down even further on smell. One extreme I read in one ladies article against sand, was that since she has never seen chickens on the beach, it "felt" wrong to use sand... Overall, I got the feeling that people are either to paranoid to try it, or they have tried it and loved it. I sided with the people who have tried it, and love it. We have had sand for the past 3 months and love how fast it dries compared to when the pen was dirt. There is now a fraction of the flys as with dirt. Our girls also free range in our fully fenced backyard all day long most of the week. So they are in daily contact with grass, multch, bark chips, dirt, concrete, and sand. Only the pen and coop are lined with sand. Why? Because it dries so much faster then bare dirt, and its far easier and cheeper to clean then replacing wood chips all the time. Just my two cents, take it or leave it : )