Maybe a silly question, but can I use pool filter sand for my baby chicks?

[chickkist]

I use it in my aquarium just fine....the brown kind.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I buy the washed play sand in bags (it has been dried also).

Don't let them walk in their feed at all when using sand or you end up with mud balls on the toes that have to be soaked and washed off to prevent toe amputation.

I had to change from using wide black rubber feed pans to the feeders for chicks so that they don't walk in the feed. It is really tiring to wash the feet of lots of chicks.

 

[chickkist]

This is washed and dried pool filter sand in a bag. I have a lot of it. Does your bag of play sand have ingredients on the bag? My pfs says it is s silica sand product. Just wondering if its safe to use

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

This is washed and dried pool filter sand in a bag. I have a lot of it. Does your bag of play sand have ingredients on the bag? My pfs says it is s silica sand product. Just wondering if its safe to use

I googled it and here is the MSDS on it:
http://www.quikrete.com/PDFs/MSDS-B4-Playsand.pdf

 

[chickkist]

Thanks!

 

[write2caroline]

Silicon dioxide is a chemical compound that is also known as silica. Silica sand is a type of sand that mostly consists of tiny granules of quartz. Quartz itself comes in many varieties, according to its color and microstructure. Silica sand also consists of other fine particles of rock and mineral. Granules of silica sand range in diameter from 1/16 mm to 2 mm, which is approximately 2/1000 of an inch to 8/100 of an inch.

All sorts of sands are mined throughout the world, including the very abundant silica sand. Once the sand is mined it is often washed with water to remove salt, silt, clay, dust and powder. Sand also is often separated and classified according to size as it gets washed. Washed sand comes in coarse, medium, fine and ultra fine granule sizes, of which each size classification requires sand granules that are within a specific diameter range. Whatever the size, washed sand isn't necessarily silica sand, and silica sand isn't necessarily washed.

Silica sand is used for many different things, such as sand blasting, glass manufacturing, water filtering, concrete and mortar mixing, landscaping and pool installation, as a spread on top of slick roads, as backfill for electrical lines and pipes, in septic tanks, as part of a loam mix, as well as many other applications.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8533201_difference-washed-sand-silica-sand.html#ixzz2eWtO7mRT

I looked it up because I always thought all sand was silica sand.
Caroline

 

[chickkist]

Now I'm all confused. Haha! The play sand also said silica sand, so write2caroline that makes sense. I just bought some expensive starter grit cause I was tired of thinking about it...haha...

 

[Boppo]

I was wondering if I could use pool filter sand, which I have, unused, in a bag, or clean, unused playsand in a bag, for chick and chicken grit. Now, using that useful link above from Caroline (thank you! ) I can read that pool filter sand would be terrible for chicken grit, because it has a lot of dust and is a class 1 carcinogen! Scrolling down from the original article, I found an article talking about the problems of disposing of used pool filter sand because you can't put it into a child's sandbox, or a cat's litterbox, or use it around your house because of those risks:

Another problem is the composition of the sand itself. Rather than containing a whole host of minerals, as beach and play sands do, pool sand primarily consists of crushed silica quartz. The dust from this type of sand is a Class 1A carcinogen that can cause a fatal lung condition called silicosis. This is obviously not something in which you want your children to play. It's isn't safe for pets either and is not the best choice of fillers for cat litter boxes.

It Isn't Concrete Sand, Either: It isn't a good idea to incorporate used pool filter sand into a concrete or mortar mix because the material from which it's made weakens the concrete mix. Concrete sand is composed mostly from crushed limestone and granite, which are harder materials than silica quartz.

Use Pool Sand for Landscaping ​

The granules in pool sand are less than a millimeter in diameter, and may be much smaller. This fine mixture is great as an underlayment for paving stones as well as filler between the stones. You can also use it to fill holes in the lawn or garden or to spread on the surface of existing dirt pathways. None of these applications expose you to the possibility of inhaling silica dust or pool contaminants.