Got sand? You should!

[calista]

There would be no need to hit me upside the head with the new-fangled idea of using sand in my coop or run, as it wouldn't work.

(The head slap, that is.)

I've been raising healthy birds on chopped hay and shavings for over 40 years, and my lovely compost that I clean out only a couple of times annually is the perfect addition to my productive raised garden beds. Any poop on my coop boots gets scraped or washed off before I get to the mudroom.

There's just something unnatural about seeing a laid egg on sand, sorry. And sand wouldn't give me my compost. Glad it works for you, though.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Anyone---Do the chickens appear to prefer sand over shavings?

 

[chellejeff]

Hard to say which the hens prefer. I didn't notice them acting any different. I have a little experiment going on right now. 2 nests with shavings and 2 nests with sand. Too soon to tell if they have a preference. Seems pretty even as to where I find the eggs so far. I just added more sand in the house today. I found some nice clean sand at a nearby lake. I put in 6 more 5 gallon cans of sand. It's about 3" deep now. I'm still very convinced it's the way to go, at least for a small flock in a small house.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

If I switch I'd better consider the additional weight!

 

[PepsNick]

I'm not so sure that I want sand in the coop. It might be a good idea but I just like shavings better for some reason. BUT, it's been so muddy here lately that I just put playsand in the run. I want to switch to pea gravel, but I figure this will work and it's been recommended.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

PepsNick, I had pea gravel in a small dog potty area. Later, when I needed to lay cement, I was told pea gravel keeps the moisture trapped. I believe it, it was kinda stinky from the urine.

 

[chellejeff]

Quote:
Would you worry about having 2 or 3 people go into the hen house with you? If so, then maybe there will be a weight problem. If not, then probably there isn't a weight problem. Also, consider that the weight will be spread out pretty evenly on the floor.

 

[chellejeff]

Quote:
I was in the same boat. Since I have a wood shop, wood shavings was the obvious choice. After a few months it got dusty and stinky in the house. I decided to try sand based on something I read here. In my situation, no comparison. Almost no dust, no smell, easy to maintain. A couple minutes a day with a kitty litter scooper and the floor is clean, and I have a bucket of henpoo for the garden. As for pea gravel, even if I try real hard I can't imagine that being anything but a headache. No absorption capability and no good way to clean it up.

 

[Mamachicks28]

Hi,
I think I read all the posts and thank you for posting to this. But is it safe for the chickens to digest the sand? Also, will the sand be cold for them to be snuggle down into at night? We have 6 pullets, not ready for the coop (almost done building). We are keeping them in our house where there is a lamp for heat and letting them run in our backyard when we're home. We in CA. So far, warm during the day and cold at night.
And for those that have sand or shaving in the coop, how do you keep it from coming out? Our coop is designed with a pull door for them to go out (jump down - no ladder) on but nothing there yet to stop the sand or shaving to go out when it's open. Or at least not yet. Any suggestions?

 

[chellejeff]

Chickens actually eat small gravel to assist in their digestion system, so I would say yes it's safe. They don't snuggle into the sand at night, they sleep on the perch. Your pullets are probably ready for the coop, it sounds like maybe the coop isn't ready for them. How old are they? Where in CA are you? Most of CA will not require any heat in the hen house. I have snow in my yard right now, but no heat in the hen house. As for keeping the sand/shavings from falling out, put a 2 x 4 on edge across each door opening. If you choose deep litter you might want something taller. My sand is between 2 and 3 inches deep. So far I see no benefit to having it any deeper. In fact it might be deeper than necessary now.

Based on your comment about them snuggling down for the night, it seems you may be a little short on necessary information. They will perch up off the ground at night, on a stick that you place horizontally in the house. A 2 x 4 laid flat seems to be a popular perch. The thought being it's wide enough for their feet to be flat, and when they nestle down their bodies will keep their feet warm. You need enough space on the perch for all of the birds, cause they're all gonna want to be on it. The perch should be higher than the nest boxes, of which you will need 2. I have 4 nests for my 11 hens, and frequently find all of the eggs in 1 or 2 of the nests. A popular item, which I recommend, is a poop tray/board. This is a wide board that is below the perch. It catches their poo while they sleep. They poo a lot while they sleep. You then scrape it off into a bucket in the morning. If you look at the 7th photo down on my BYC page you will see my dog looking at the hens on their perch. The poop tray is not installed in that photo. There are many photos available in the forums of different setups. On the right side of the same photo you can see the nests. Again, there are many photos of many versions in the forums.

On your BYC page, you need to remove the