Any dangers with using sand?

[cluckerz]

I put about 2" in it. I plan to add a little more. I have read that many here use about 4" of sand.

Thanks, too much to keep up...

 

[SobbaChickens]

You could those for the nest boxes.

I'm going to be stealing straw from my brothers barn

He'll never know

 

[SobbaChickens]

Using play sand. I figure if its safe for my kids it can't be too bad for chickens..

I've seen people asking if play sand is okay but I've never seen an answer so today when I was looking for sand and ALL I could find was play sand I went ahead and got it.

 

[10xmama]

I don't put a lid on because we had previously used it as a container for growing tomatoes and it has holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Heh, poop hoarding. Love it.
Any advice for getting the little darlings to "put themself to bed?" I've lost weight from my nightly chicken herding ritual, which is good because my butt is smaller, but I would reeeaally love it if they would put their darn-selves to bed every evening.

I use sand in my run ... love it

As for getting them to put themselves to bed, here's what I discovered worked for my girls. First few nights in their run/coop ... I was having to go and chase them around and crawl under their coop to bring them out 1-2 at a time until I had them all in ... NOT fun. I had an idea that the brooder light might lure them in ... so I grabbed it out of their brooder in the barn and hung it up real high in the coop. I went out around 7:00 pm and turned it on (sun is setting around 8:00-8:30 here). Over the course of a week, they all figured it out. Each night there was fewer birds in the run when I went to shut the coop door at 9:00pm. Finally 4 nights ago they were all in on their own! Then tonight I went out and they were all up on a roosting bar in the coop together and they were quiet! I shut the coop door and turn off the brooder light. Easy!! I am anxious to see if after a week or so they can be weaned off the light all together ... if they will go in without the light. We shall see.