Anyone use SAND in the run/coop

[chickerdoodle]

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I buy it by the bag at Home Depot, I think it's about $2.60 a bag, definitely under $3 but I buy construction grade, play sand is double that price. The construction grade is still cleaned , it's just not as soft and fine as the play sand.. my chickens don't seem to care ; ) I have read on here that some buy it by the truckload also and get it even cheaper so if you have a gravel place you can go to and need a lot , that is probably the way to go. I think I bought 8 bags to start and add a bag once in awhile , i also keep a bag on hand for the dust baths for my coturnix... they love it too.

We are building our coop in the spring and it will have playground sand in the run.

If its not playground sand it has a silica in it that can be damaging to their (and quite possibly) your lungs. Unfortunately it cost more but you only need to add a little each year to make up for loss from wind, cleaning,etc. I looked all over the Internet for this as I hate to spend the money if I don't have to but I feel its worth it for our health. We will only have a 5x12 run and a few chickens though so if its a huge run for lots of chickens you have to decide the risks for yourself. From our chicken group I have heard LOTS of positive feedback on sand. They also recommended a strainer type cooking utensil for scooping so I intend to look that up. Have fun!

 

[DawnSuiter]

With all due respect chickerdoodle... sand from your local quarry is highly variable in it's contents depending on your region of the country. So where you are greatly affects the type, quality & components on "construction sand".

 

[chickerdoodle]

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Wow--I knew it had to have some differences but not enough to make that big a difference to be safe for this use. Most of what I read was that man made sand is one to avoid. Could you tell me how to tell the difference? I live in the Pacific Northwest near Portland, Oregon if that makes a difference. I would love to save 40-50% on the cost! Thanks!

 

[DawnSuiter]

Quote:
Wow--I knew it had to have some differences but not enough to make that big a difference to be safe for this use. Most of what I read was that man made sand is one to avoid. Could you tell me how to tell the difference? I live in the Pacific Northwest near Portland, Oregon if that makes a difference. I would love to save 40-50% on the cost! Thanks!

Sure, just ask your local quarry or sand & gravel place what's in it.

 

[Billy7871]

Ok I guess I am just not to up on sand but what do you mean whats in it? I thought sand was sand. Some is courser than others but if you buy sand you get sand. I thought......

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

I have a 2x4 section with sand, the rest is dirt which my husband tills occassionally with a garden weasel. Our run is elevated in an old flower bed tier (see my page) so it drains well.

 

[DawnSuiter]

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Well, I'm no expert but in general sand is finely ground rock & mineral deposits, which rocks & which minerals of course vary by location. If you take for example coastal sand, which would be full of bits & pieces of coral & shells; where my inland sand is mostly comprised of quartz, clay, granite etc...sand from Hawaii where the land is formed by volcanic eruption is largely made from exactly that, and tends to be darker & richer in minerals.

Sandblasting used to and still sometimes uses/creates very fine silica dust/powder which is a hazard to your health if inhaled. Course sand has such large particulate that it isn't easily floating around in the air bothering anyone's lungs.

We all live in different places with a variety of natural resources available, right down to sand content.

hopefully I didn't get much or too much wrong here, again, no expert.

 

[tecumseh]

Does anyone have experience with using sand in the coop through a midwest winter? I was planning on using straw, but the scoop idea sounds great. I just want to make sure it doesn't turn in to a huge cold sink as I don't plan on running radiant heat through it!

 

[Amyable]

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That's the question I want answered too.

tecumseh,

from WI!!

 

[soldieratheart]

Hi, I am new to chicken-keeping and getting ready to move my 15 8-week-old chicks into their new coop this weekend or Monday... I want to use sand in my coop but am trying to locate a place that has the coarse construction sand. I have a couple questions about sand though, even after reading all the threads on it.... first, would a 3" depth be enough? My coop is an A-frame over a wired-in bottom, so it's the "top level" that would have sand and I can't really have the sand any deeper (my retaining board to hold in the bedding can't be made higher due to the sloped roofs, plus sand is heavy and I don't want it totally unmanageable!). Secondly, does sand lead to pinworms? I have heard to kids getting ringworms from playsand, is the coarse stuff also prone to that?

I had also heard that sand will prevent mites since the mites can't live in it, is that true? Does it prevent little bug infestations? If you can and do get lice/mites, so you have to replace all the sand?


Thanks so much for any expertise you're willing to share! I appreciate it!