"River sand", "construction sand" "concrete sand", "septic sand", "beach sand", "play sand", etc, seem to be generic terms for sand that may vary considerably between suppliers and regions.
From all of my inquiries I've determined that for a coop, it's best to use sand that is "washed", but not "sharp" or "white silica", and has a variety of aggregate sizes within a specific range.
The closest description of this would be "septic sand" although sand that's been labeled with any of those other names can sometimes be the same.
Specifically, for the best results use sand (whatever it may be called) that is specified as ASTM C33. It's the most absorbent, fastest evaporating, least abrasive, least dusty, and widely available from quarries.
From all of my inquiries I've determined that for a coop, it's best to use sand that is "washed", but not "sharp" or "white silica", and has a variety of aggregate sizes within a specific range.
The closest description of this would be "septic sand" although sand that's been labeled with any of those other names can sometimes be the same.
Specifically, for the best results use sand (whatever it may be called) that is specified as ASTM C33. It's the most absorbent, fastest evaporating, least abrasive, least dusty, and widely available from quarries.
