Alternatives to wood shavings?

[capow21]

What kind of sand do you use in your coop? Could it be the sand they sell in Home Depot in big sacs (I think they use it to mix it with cement to make mortar) I am seriously thinking about changing the floor bedding from hay to sand. My coop is 4 x 8 and I am in South Texas with 106F temps average in the summer so I need something cool for the girls. They only go to the coop to roost and lay but still sand will be cooler for them. I am currently using PDZ in the poop boxes and it is working great, however sand will be cheaper for the floor

If you go with the Quickrete, you may want to read the bag first. I am making stepping stones right now with a sandy Mortar mix (similar to Quickrete) and it has a warning to flush/wash thoroughly if it gets on your skin, because when cement is mixed with water it creates calcium hydroxide. I don't know how safe this would be with your chickens feet and the dust getting in their eyes if they bathe in it. I just thought I might let you know.

Also, my coop is 4x10 and you really only need about two-three inches if using it on the floor inside the coop. Which, for me is about five buckets (5 gal). I get mine from a river near my house.

 

[reinvestment]

Newspapers! I was laying them down carefully, but the chickens want to scratch, so now I just crumple them and let them have fun and do want chickens do. I tried straw and found it all over the yard. Newspapers are cheap and serve the same purpose. When the coop is cleaned and put in the garden, the newspapers add to the fertility of the ground. In fact I use newspapers and cardboard to cover and kill weeds. Weight them with big stones, brick or whatever and if you want perfection, plastic covering until it rots and then take if off.

 

[WaterKat]

Hi Can u use the rice hulls for chickens,will they eat them?

I don't know about the chickens eating them, but from my experience with rice hulls - they made my skin itch for days, even after they were all washed off, clothes laundered, hair scrubbed. For years after that if I even thought about rice hulls I would go into an itching fit. I use wood shavings for my nest boxes (will try shredded paper next since I use it in the garden to deter weeds), but the coop is dirt and any plants that can survive the chickens' scratching.

 

[nova022]

I use Sweet PDZ on my poop boards under my roosts. It is like a fine clumping kitty litter, mostly used in horse stalls to keep things dry. For such a small coop as yours, it would only take a couple of bags, as it is pricey at the feed store. You can sift out the poo with a kitty litter shovel, and it is non-toxic. You can even use the poo for composting later.

I love PDZ I use it on my poop boards. It drys the poop almost on contact so there is no odor, it cleans the hens feet so they do not get the roosts and nest boxes dirty and it is very easy to scoop the dried poo out of with a kitty litter scoop. If I could use it in my whole run I would, but it is too expensive for large areas. Sand, hay, dirt and leaves are used in the run.

 

[willtell]

I use course sand, works excellent for me
I love this forum

 

[mgray]

I use several bales of straw so that there is a very thick layer on floor.

 

[TwoCrows]

When you use sand, do you sift it out like a cat box or can you rake it? I am building an 8'x8' coop and will have between 15-25 birds in there at night. How often does it need to be cleaned?
Thanks! Joni

I use a kitty litter scoop to scoop out the poop in the coop and run. I am a clean freak, LOL, so I clean up the poop daily. It is very easy with a scoop, however if you have a rake that has close tines, you would be able to rake it just fine. What is nice about sand is that after the sand coats the poop, it actually stiffens the poop up and it separates from the sand. So raking or scooping is really easy to do.

 

[iluvsedward]

I considering sand. Will the sand used in sandbags to weigh stuff down work?

 

[iluvsedward]

Or sand from the beach?

 

[kkidsmom]

For those using sand. what do you use as nesting material?