Is sand really good for a coop?

[Harun]

I was thinking about replacing the pine shavings in my coop with sand instead, but is sand really that much better? Wouldn't it produce dust which lingers in the air? Also, would chickens bathe in sand? If so, it could get in the other chicken's eyes. One last thing, wouldn't it be cold for them? I'm only a few months into this chicken hobby so I don't have much experience. Hopefully you experts can help though.
– Harun

 

[neo71665]

If you are in a dry climate it's not bad. Chickens love sand. Fill out the location in your profile and somebody close to you might chime in.

Personally it's too wet and humid here for sand.

 

[Harun]

If you are in a dry climate it's not bad. Chickens love sand. Fill out the location in your profile and somebody close to you might chime in.

Personally it's too wet and humid here for sand.

Hmm. Just got rain here in Florida two days ago.

 

[3KillerBs]

I personally do not care for the idea of using sand. It doesn't absorb moisture and it doesn't compost with and thus neutralize the manure. Yes, the big lumps of poop can be scooped, but the fine particles filter down into the sand and stay there.

People who advocate the use of sand are almost always located in dry climates and are obsessive poop scoopers -- which is way too much daily intensive management for my tastes.

I prefer Deep Bedding: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[KarynVA]

I choose not to use sand because it's heavy, difficult to transport/ move around; and would be a pain to clean out and replace periodically. But it really depends what your coop set-up is and your climate, etc.

 

[bikerchix]

i've used sand in my coop for several years now in oklahoma. i also scoop daily, keeps the smell and flies down. i don't have a dust problem and the chickens prefer to dust bathe out in their run. the coop is elevated so cleaning the sand out twice a year hasn't been difficult and i think sand helps insulate the coop floor in cold weather.