Pros and Cons for using sand

[Jim Phelps]

Use the granular form of PDZ rather than the powdered. This eliminates most dust.

 

[Heme]

MESSIPAW Wrote> I have sand in my coop and run as well as my dust bath area. Currently it is mixed with a ton of other stuff. PDZ, DE, leaves, pine needles, wood chips, hay and who knows what else. It's great. They dig all day and find goodies. I also mix peat Moss in. They go nuts. It's like an ongoing compost pile. It smells good looks healthy and my hens love it.

I totally AGREE; I do the same except I use Contractor Sand from Lowes (not Play Sand) and no peat moss. Noting wrong with Peat, its already in my soil mix. The Contractor Sand I use has both infinite sand particles and numerous grit sizes, some of which are consumed by the girls as an aid to digestion.

The PDZ worked great, especially in the hot summer, the sand mix helped drain away the rain water that accumulated, and my occasional Cyper-WSP spry solution stopped insect infestation. The Girls are happy, coop smells fresh and my wife is happy! What more can I ask?

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Some types of sand may be "natural", but not for chickens. They are jungle fowl, not beach fowl. Natural litters like leaves and stalks would be what they scratched around in to find bugs. You cannot tell me you would find as many worms in straight sand as you would in a litter mix. Adding sand to your compost bin will do nothing to help it other than to make it a bit more loose. After that, nothing. It will not break down as a carbon or nutrient source. Sand does not hold heat, either, especially on a wood floor. It is just not good for cold climates, period.

I'm not trying to persuade anyone to use sand who does not wish to use it, but I do want to make sure that that the facts are known about sand- inaccurate information and specious arguments against the use of sand for the sake of argument serve no one well when trying to care for chickens. Modern day pet chickens are not jungle fowl and that argument is completely invalid when discussing backyard chickens.

Nobody advocates using beach sand, nobody claims sand lends a carbon or nitrogen source to compost and the primary purpose of chicken litter is NOT pasturing (foraging for bugs, etc). The primary purpose of chicken coop litter is to keep the flock's living conditions dry. I have been using sand in my New England chicken coops (wood floors, no less) for years and it is IDEAL in cold climates for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it keeps chicken coops cleaner and drier than any other litter type. Chicken coop litter is not a blanket that the birds pull up over themselves to keep warm- that's what their feathers are for and they can best achieve that with a dry coop. The fact is: sand retains warmth better than any other bedding and given its high thermal mass, keeps coop temperatures more stable than other litter choices. Sand is an outstanding choice in the winter because it evaporates moisture more rapidly than other litter and stays drier, reducing the risk of frostbite.

 

[Volcanic Egger]

I have been using what is called Arena Sand. It's a mix of course and fine sands and is working perfectly. I for one believe that if you smell ammonia in your coop or run you simply need to clean the darn thing. Ammonia smell in the coop also means you need more ventilation to help dry things out. Now if I could only find a huge kitty litter scoop. I tried modifying a big rake but it takes too much sand with each pass. But since I can't find a better method I simply use a snow shovel and dig out the top couple of inches and sift it through a large screen I made with construction cloth and then throw the clean sifted sand back in. It takes me only about thirty minutes once a week to clean my 64sqft coop and 192sqft run. And I have a huge pile of poopy sand to use in the garden next spring.

 

[Happy Dad]

Thanks. I stand by the statement that it is safe to breathe. By your standard, a trip to the beach is a respiratory hazard.

 

[Volcanic Egger]

You must have been using beach sand. Beach sand = silicate= sharp edges=dead chickens. Try river or construction sand.

 

[Jim Phelps]

I agree. I have sand mixed with PDZ in my coop. Spread a bag of PDZ over the sand. The hens soon have it thoroughly mixed in. I have attached a super-size kitty litter scoop to a piece of PVC to provide a longer handle. Each morning I scoop out the droppings. Takes about two minutes. Drains well; has no odor; and is the cleanest coop I have ever had.

 

[Preacherbabe]

OK so I see this debate about sand and it amazes me how adamant people can get about it. I first read about sand from the chicken chick and then researched it because it sounded great to me...really only read one serious article against it, but the argument didn't hold much weight for me or my sister who has raised chickens forever. She doesn't use sand but she also doesn't hand feed her chickens either...to each their own. I am using sand and the chooks love it they find worms etc and it is staying dry even here in the rainy Willamette valley. I use a dog pooper scooper I got from wilco With A little rake and dust pan like hopper. When I go play with the birds I do a cursory scoop and put it in the hopper and dump it every day or so. No smell no messy feet...hubby is neat freak Ocd and he loves it too.

 

[SNJchickens]

Quote: This is going off the subject of sand, so we may want to start a new thread for inside the coop OR we could take this private.

We do have similar climates and I know CT well since my in-laws all live there.

PDZ is a "stall sweetener" that helps avoid odors from urine and poo. I used it in my horse stalls during the winter (horses were out in the summer.) I've never used it for the coop or run. I prefer lime mixed with diatomaceous earth for the hen areas.
Coccidiosis is a chicken ailment.

Just now I'm off to class (orchid immersion at Longwood Gardens in PA) but I will send you an over-view of my care, my brand new coop, etc. this evening.

 

[sacchick]

This is going off the subject of sand, so we may want to start a new thread for inside the coop OR we could take this private.

We do have similar climates and I know CT well since my in-laws all live there.

PDZ is a "stall sweetener" that helps avoid odors from urine and poo. I used it in my horse stalls during the winter (horses were out in the summer.) I've never used it for the coop or run. I prefer lime mixed with diatomaceous earth for the hen areas.
Coccidiosis is a chicken ailment.

Just now I'm off to class (orchid immersion at Longwood Gardens in PA) but I will send you an over-view of my care, my brand new coop, etc. this evening.

I agree but here is my 2 cents: I use sand always and in summer add a little PDZ for odor . I DO NOT EVER use diatomaceous earth because the directions and all my research says for humans to handel with a respirator on. Chickens have very sensitive lungs so I would not be spreading it daily...to each their own, just my opinion. All of this non sense about sand harboring more bacteria and Coccidiosis is just that , non sense. Coccidiosis is found in many animals including dogs and cats it is oportunistic and usually gets in there when conditions are good, think wet, humid, dirty, and then add stressed animal and there you have it. I have had many pups come to me with it. By using sand my coop stays extremely clean and wet sand drys quickly. IMO the best for my climate. I also use in the brooder but put paper towels on top for the first few days til they are eating consistantly from the feeder. Sand holds the heat beautifully in the brooder aand the coop but cools down nicely in the shade for a cool dust bath!