Sand or shavings in the hen house?

[Georgetownchick]

We are just about finished building our coop. It has a run with a hen house above it for night time. My girls will mostly be free range during the day. I have been trying to decide what kind of material to put down on the hen house floor and in the nesting boxes. I see people use sand and some people use the shavings. Which is better? Which is easier to keep clean? I live in Central Texas so it doesn't get freezing cold but right now the temperatures are getting rather chilly at night. Or should I use sand on the floor and then the shavings in the nesting boxes? So many decisions...

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have had a sand run in one of my pens for the last 2 years and I have not had to do anything to it. I have not had to turn the sand over to get the poop moved around. I have an open run so it rains in there with no problems. The sand does not wash out when it rains and in Louisiana you know that we have some drenches.

I'm not sure how shavings work but I think you have to change them out periodically. Well, with sand, you don't do anything . You dump it and go.

Here are pics of my sand run.

 

[Georgetownchick]

Thank you for your reply. What kind of sand do you use? Where do you get it? Also, do you have nesting boxes? What material do you put in the nesting boxes?

 

[kuntrygirl]

I use "washed sand". We get it from a company about 15 miles from our house. They sell dirt and sand. Yes, I do have nesting boxes. I currently use hay but have experimented with sand and nesting pads in the nesting boxes. They didn't like the sand in the nesting boxes and they hated the nesting pads. They tore the nesting pads to pieces. It looked like a high school pep rally in the chicken house once they were done with those nesting pads. The only thing they LOVE is hay. :/

 

[TyWilk18]

I have my coop on a concrete slab and planned on laying shavings down over the top... Are shavings the best bedding? Should I put a layer of dirt on the concrete then the shavings? Should I not use the shavings at all and use straw? Help please