A question about sand in the coop...

Date sort Score sort
Quote:
It would take me a month I swear. My coop is 27x8 or so. I did actually BUY a cat scooper thingie, I tried it a couple of times and NO WAY. I also tried using a folded piece of chicken wire. NOPE.
Horse scooper is the fastest way to clean out - I cleaned on Saturday, then dumped in three more bags of shavings. thats kinda how it goes.
 
I get mine from a cement copy!

I have a small truch I get half a ton for $9 with tax

I change this every spring
I add sweet PDZ (to take out amonia smell) & DE ((mixes great))

RChicks: Not to sound stupid but are you saying you get sand from a cement company?? and what is Sweet PDZ and DE??

We're just finishing our first coop and I'm open to what to put on the plywood floor that's easy to clean....

Thanks.​
 
i started out with a grass run area, but soon it turned to plain dirt, so then I added straw - after a couple of weeks the smell was terrible, so i tooks some advice from a post and put a 4" layer of small limestone chips and then a 2" layer of sand on top. the limestone allows good drainage and keeps the smell down - the sand makes a nice soft layer and drys the poo - i just rake it and add new sand and a small amount of DE now and again.

the coop still has straw and DE - as the chickens are out most of the day and only use the coop for nesting and sleeping - it stays pretty clean and dry.

in out meaties coop I first put a heavy layer of newspaper on the floor, and add DE and straw - another layer of newspaper,straw,etc. making a deep layer - which I will shovel out to the compost when they go to the processor this weekend. as much as they poo, it never has smelled bad at all in there, altho it is about 8" deep.
 
Last edited:
Quote:
Hmmmmmmmmmmm - perhaps I should try next year (after the cold) to leave the bare sand in the coop and just rake it to one side and then shovel the poop out. That might work.

Getting too cold now to make changes and such, and the shavings work well.
 
I use sand in my elevated coop - it certainly is easier to clean than it was with shavings. I use a kids sand sieve to scoop the poop. I don't have natural sand, and I don't have a pickup truck or a good place to store a pile of it - so I've been buying all purpose sand from Home Depot - I think it was $2 and change for a 50 lb bag. I use it in my run too.

IF it gets wet, it is awfully cold and takes a long time to dry. I've got the wire sides of the coop enclosed in plastic now, and since I did that, the coop has been staying very dry. I also enclosed the run in plastic - it gets wet around the edges but has been staying pretty dry too. I mix DE in with it too. If the sand does get wet it does exude a 'wet chicken' smell and the DE helps with that.

NOTE: it's quite dusty to clean. I recommend a dust mask.
 
Quote:
My pleasure! It does go a lot faster with the rake and I do have a fairly large chicken barn which I clean every day and whenever I visit them.
D.gif
 
Quote:
RChicks: Not to sound stupid but are you saying you get sand from a cement company?? and what is Sweet PDZ and DE??

We're just finishing our first coop and I'm open to what to put on the plywood floor that's easy to clean....

Thanks.

Sweet PDZ is a stall deodorizer and it has DE in it, is safe for the chickens to eat, helps eliminate the smell and dry wet and poo. Some folks use Stall dri as well. It is a great organic garden pest control, great for maintenance of internal parasites if you or the animals eat it, can be fed directly to animals and just a great product to have around.

DE that we refer to here is Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth. Food Grade is important...DE is also used in things like pool filters and that kind can be harmful if eaten so Food Grade on the bag is important.
smile.png
 

Similar threads

H
    • Like
Coop flooring and bedding material.
2
Replies
16
Views
2K
sals_chicks
sals_chicks
MrsJones05
Hoop Coop Tractor vs Stationary Coop//Run in Winter
Replies
2
Views
112
Karlkurla Chooks
Karlkurla Chooks
L
Sand Vs. what else for run?
Replies
9
Views
317
eikome
eikome
J
    • Love
Coop Bedding
Replies
5
Views
413
Jamminjen
J
R
    • Like
    • Love
More questions about sand
2
Replies
11
Views
2K
ChickenShepherd_6116
ChickenShepherd_6116

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom