construction sand questions

[chickfan]

I need to get info on construction sand. Reading on this board makes me think I can use it, both in my run (about 5x20 ft.) and inside both my coops...which are closed in boxes (5x8 and 7 ft. tall) which will have ventilation and windows and at least one door...maybe 2. The floors of the coops have been painted with something that has polyurethane in it, and we were assured that would protect the floor as well as if we tried to lay linoleum down. I hope this is true. If I'm making a mistake by using the sand in the coops, please tell me. I was thinking of having the sand maybe 4-6 inches deep....DH thinks less sand will be just as good. The coops sit on top of runners, so are maybe 6-8 inches off the ground. I don't want the sand to be too heavy and have the bottom fall out. The coops were storage boxes for people's furniture, and the company went out of business, so for us they were ready made coops cheap for the cheeps. I have to assume the flooring is very strong, if there was heavy furniture stored in them.
I have access to construction sand for free (how about that!), but I have never seen it. I read on this board that it would not be pleasant to walk barefoot on it, so that makes me wonder if it is more like gravel than sand? Also I'd like to know if there are different kinds of construction sand....some finer than others....or if all "construction sand" is the same? One web site makes me think that construction sand can be beach, fine, utility, mason, and others....so I might need to make a choice of which one I want. Or am I misunderstanding the web site?
I think I read on here that chickens can dust bathe in construction sand. If indeed it is more gravely and less fine, seems to me like that wouldn't work for their baths.
I have looked for pictures of it on the internet, and don't find anything that shows me what I need to know. I do know many on this board use it and love it, and I would soooooooo appreciate it if I could find out about it before I commit to having some brought out here. Being for free, I don't want to take advantage and risk getting something I can't use.
Thanks. You folks are the best, and I look forward to any and all info/advice.

 

[Teach97]

there are many types of sand...and the names can vary by region and company. trying to argue with folks about that is like talking colors to horse breeders...don't it is a waste of your time. What you are getting from the web site is true...the different types have different uses...

I use sand in my run..fill sand...my coop part is pigeon poop...makes a great flooring material...i have the pigeons so I ain't bringing it in...

Different types of sand will have different weights by volume...thickness of sand is really a matter of need...I use it to help drain my run so it is above water flow level...water doesn't pool on it making for a drier run and poop is fairly easy to rake off...

Wish I had access to free delivered sand...cost me like $250 for 5 yards...I think....

 

[elmo]

I have sand in my coop but it's only an inch or two thick. It's just to catch and dry out the odd poo that lands outside the boot tray that I have under the roost to catch most of the droppings. I use a kitty litter scoop to pick poop out of the sand; catches the poop and leaves the sand behind. Works great.

What I use is bagged play sand, simply because I don't need that much of it and that's what I have readily available to me.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

We have about 6 inches of construction sand in our run and the hens love it for dustbathing! It drains great and we love it. I have pine shavings in the coop though, didn't want sand in the coop b/c I wanted the absorbent nature of the wood to wick out any moisture before it hits the coop floor. We do use droppings board in our coop, so there isn't too much that lands on the coop floor, but I still don't prefer the idea of sand in the coop over wood chips.

This is a photo of one of my EEs, Esther, dustbathing in a tub I keep in the run (just for entertainment, they love it) and I put play sand and/or potting soil in it. They don't care what type of sand there is, just as long as there is dirt of some variety available they're happy!

Just a photo of the run floor to give you an idea of the type of sand we use:

 

[chickfan]

Thanks for your reply! I hadn't thought about the weights being different, so that will be a consideration.
If things get built according to my directions (!! Dealing with a DH who wahts to do things his way..LOL), the run will be covered with a slanted roof (upside down "V", whatever that is called) so rain will run off and hopefully help keep the run dry.
I need to ask more questions about the construction sand we will get here. The man we will get it from boards two horses out here for free, and in exchange, since he works for a construction company, he can get dirt and sand and can even get the huge machinery brought out here on the week-ends, to spread and dig and whatever is needed, at no cost to us. He has just said he will get the construction sand, but I didn't know to ask him if there is more than one kind.
Now I know to ask about weight and about the kind of sand he has access to! Thanks so much!

 

[chickfan]

Quote:
I definitely will have trays or something under the roosts, and was counting on being able to use a kitty litter scoop....both in the coops and in the run.
What do you have on the floor of the coops, under the sand? I was looking for linoleum or sheet vinyl and couldn't find any people selling or giving away scraps. Did find sheets of formica that would probably work, but then DH declared that the polyurethane in the paint will protect the floor and we don't need anything else. I hadn't seen anyone on this board mentioning that, so I do wonder if it really will work. I had pictured starting with about 6 inches of sand, but that idea got vetoed! LOL

 

[robin416]

I used construction sand in my coop, dirt floor, and my outside pen. Something to think about before putting it on that wood floor, dust. Lots and lots of dust builds up over time. With the wood floor you would not be able to hose the floor down to wash out the dust.

I loved my sand floor, the birds never got mites. When it lost its allure was when the dust began to build up so bad that every time I tried to do something the dust just flew. A hose solved the problem. The hose also helped after applying lime to neutralize the ammonia. You can't do that with the wood.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

This link may be of use to you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=11374-sand-for-your-coops

 

[chickfan]

Quote:
What kind of construction sand is in your run? Now that I understand there are different kinds, would this be beach or fine or utility or fill or mason or septic or concrete....LOL? Having choices makes me crazy! Yours looks good though, and I can see chickens bathing in it. Why do you have the tub of sand? Just as an extra treat with finer sand? We love watching our chickens taking their bath, then laying down on their side and extending one long and lovely leg out to get a sun tan! They have the run of our front 4 acres, but we have so many rocks, and they have found only one or two small areas where there is enough sand to bathe in. I'm hoping to make their run a happy place for them, so that I can leave them in the run on some days without turning them out to free range, and not feel guilty.
Love the pictures! Thanks!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
What kind of construction sand is in your run? Now that I understand there are different kinds, would this be beach or fine or utility or fill or mason or septic or concrete....LOL? Having choices makes me crazy! Yours looks good though, and I can see chickens bathing in it. Why do you have the tub of sand? Just as an extra treat with finer sand? We love watching our chickens taking their bath, then laying down on their side and extending one long and lovely leg out to get a sun tan! They have the run of our front 4 acres, but we have so many rocks, and they have found only one or two small areas where there is enough sand to bathe in. I'm hoping to make their run a happy place for them, so that I can leave them in the run on some days without turning them out to free range, and not feel guilty.
Love the pictures! Thanks!

My invoice states that it is "screened sand". That's all I can tell you, not knowing anything more about the sand types. I called the company and told them what I was using it for and this is what they recommended.
I just put that tub in there during the winter when the temperatures were zero to 20 degrees for a few weeks and the run sand froze, they used it more then than now. They don't need it to dustbathe in now. In fact, more often than not, they dustbathe on the run floor.