Got sand? You should!

[countrychick14]

I am going to try sand. Sounds good.

 

[PHarris985]

Quote:
I bought a snake scooper and taped it to a pole and scoop it. I think the straw or wood chips would have a stronger smell as the poo and urine stay in the permanently until you change it.

 

[Hope49]

This is my question too. I keep wondering how deep you make the sand? And how it doesn't get wet and soaked with the urine.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Isn't sand so much colder for them in the winter than shavings?
I'd like to go to sand, but I can't imagine them snuggling in it on a bitter cold, MI day.
Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

[calgal98]

Quote:
I've been having cannabalism issues here this year too. I lost one 5 week chick when the others picked her tail area to bone...ugh. I now use Blood Stop powder on those wounds, covering them completely. It seems to change the flavor of the wound and the others pretty much leave it alone. It also changes the bright red which I think they are drawn to. You might try that for your chicks....

 

[Kaneke]

haven't seen anyone posting doing same thing I did ---

I now have sand in the coop (roughly 4 x 4 x 4 with roosts across the middle each way)

previous owner of the coop had left the plywood bare, put down a double layer of heavy black plastic, and used deep hay

despite the deep hay, his chickens had scratched multiple holes in the plastic

I cleaned everything out, sprayed it all with diluted bleach ---
then after it dried, painted the whole thing with offwhite glossy exterior latex paint

then the sand went in (builders sand) ... about two inches deep

(several people expressed concern about dampness through sand --- if the underlying wood is painted = not a problem;
and paint is a whole lot cheaper than vinyl flooring, if you buy vinyl new retail, especially if you also ask at the store for any returned mis-mixed paint !)

it is very easy to rake (child's metal lawn rake) and scoop --- once I figure out where the chicks want to roost, I will put a poop board under the roost they prefer, then will have very little to scoop up

to keep the sand from tracking all over out in the run, I put a couple of rubber nubby Welcome mats just inside and outside the poop door -- got that idea from mats sold to keep kitty litter from getting tracked all over the house

(the run is big clumps of weedy grass -- when they eat the grass down to buzz cut length, I pull up more from the yard and transplant it in -- and they have a couple of corners with several inches of sand to bathe in)

also put a nubby mat under the waterer, so the chicks' feet get cleaned off before they drink

standard chick waterer kept getting knocked over, so I borrowed DS's gallon-size automatic dog waterer, which they haven't managed to overturn yet .... his dog prefers water in a great big stainless bowl anyway

 

[Strader]

I'm just finishing my chicken house. I think I will get some of the tile squares that are stick down and like 12 x 12 and do the poop boxes with them, then add the litter. This sounds like a great way to go for clean up. In the city and dont need the complaint department showing up because of uncleanlyness. Appreciatte all the info on this thread.

 

[Strader]

Also was wondering what age do i need to not worry about giving my chicks sand or having it to use as poop cleanup under perches? should they not need or not get this sand till there past a certain age? they are 5 weeks od now. thanks for any info...I know they will need to satrt getting grit and oyster shell, but dont know the age for that to start?

 

[chellejeff]

Quote:
My sand is 2-3 inches deep. I have had no issues at all with it becoming urine soaked. The urine and poo are deposited all at once. It clumps when it hits the sand. It's easy to scoop out and toss in a bucket. I have a bare plywood floor under the sand and have had no problems with that either. I use a garden rake every few days to spread the sand around evenly and reveal any clumps I may have missed. It's easy and clean compared to wood shavings. No comparison.

 

[chellejeff]

Quote:
This issue has been visited a number of times in this thread. Some of my highest egg production days to date have been when it was 20 outside and 30 in the house. Around here it doesn't get much colder than that. The birds seemed unaffected. Additionally, I have a 5 gal bucket on it's side, in the coop, with shavings in it, and have never found an egg in the bucket, even on the coldest day.