Sand as a ground cover in coop

[dani813]

Has anyone ever used sand as a ground cover in their coops?? Was just curious if it would work or should I just stick to straw.

 

[mattyg85]

yes I have recently converted to sand in both the run and the coop and I can honestly say I am glad I did. The main benefits is that it is easily cleaned with just a quick scoop with a cat litter scoop so you can go longer without a complete clean. It also reduces the smell as the sand smothers and neutralises the odour but every so often I will throw a scoop of bio-dri and mix that into the sand to give it a freshen up. You can leave it longer without a full clean so yes well recommended by me

 

[Weasleymum]

If you head over to the "Coops and Runs" section of the forum, you'll find many looong threads of members discussing the pros and cons of sand. (Mainly the pros.) It's a hot topic there!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/250190/anyone-use-sand-in-the-run-coop


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

 

[jdoane]

I have sand in my coop and love it. I have a small coop and I scoop it out daily with a cat litter scooper. Takes me about five minutes. About once a week I add some Sweet PDZ and DE. No smell.