Sand Coop

[DawnSuiter]

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driveway gravel?

 

[PAChickenChick]

Quote:
Well, I haven't finished my "real" coop yet so I can only go by what I'm using as bedding in the huge dog carrier I'm using.

I got some sand from our local pool (they have a huge sand box) so it's just regular play sand. What I have noticed is that the poo dries so much nicer in the sand than it did in the pine shavings and really had no smell since it dried out. I could stick my whole head into the carrier and not even have to hold my breath. It just smelled like bread/yeast. I just today cleaned out the carrier...and not because of smell but more because I could see the poo building up and just figured that I didn't want that much poo under foot. It's was at about 3 weeks of poo from two chickens. I know when I was using shavings I could smell it at the end of the week.

Course, let me state that I think this was more because the chickens would "scratch" the shavings into one corner and the rest of the floor would be open and get pooped on, where as with the sand they never really got it to go all in one corner so the floor was never bare. The amount of sand I used was one quart for my carrier. (used the chinese food container to get the sand home from the pool)...lol

Someone asked where they can get sand...and yes, Home Depot, ACE, Lowe's.... any place you find cement mix ect....

 

[PAChickenChick]

Oh, and I wanted to add....

I bought a round grill grate on clearance from Kmart....what I plan on doing with this is cover it with a piece of regular window screen to make a sifter. This grill grate (from a round char coal grill) fits on the top of a 32 gal. trash can.

I will keep my clean sand in the trash can with a lid. When it is time to clean the coop I will put an empty trash bag in the trash can (the clean sand will be under the trash bag). I will then put the sifter ontop of the trash bag/can and sweep the dirty coop sand into the trash bag. Poo and debris will sit ontop of the sifter which will then be thrown into either a bucket of water to make "poo tea" or into the composter. The used sand in the trash bag will be lifted out and if still clean enough will be dumped back into coop...if it's yucky it will be thrown out. Then using the clean sand under the bag, I will replenish sand as needed.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Here's some more info on the sand & what kind I use & how I deal with it https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=78543&p=3

 

[havi]

Okay can someone tell me which sand would be best? I think I will go to The Home Depot tomorrow and get some. On their website I tried finding #9 sand, but they didnt have anything listed. They do have play sand, All Purpose Sand, Pool Filter Sand, Sand Mix, etc. Which would be the best?

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I use sand & love it!!!

I get it wit from a concrete mix place I go in & for a pick-up truck load (I have a small one) it is $9 fill up a 12x12 coop (that is split in 2) in spring!
I mix DE & PDZ through out the year & by January I will through a 4 bags of play sand -

In the Spring this will be soil that I through in the garden as is!!!