Sand floor...thank you!

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
got it from local quarry they dig it up and wash out to sand

We pay $6.00 per yard.

 

[Aemelia]

I live in Nebraska and have just been using pine bedding. Does anyone have any opinions on if sand helps keep them warm? We are looking at using heating mats in our coop for heat. But if I switched to sand I wouldn't have to worry about bedding catching on fire and could consider using lights for heating.

 

[dwegg]

yes good question...how will the sand be in winter? will it be cold for them?

 

[coalroadcabin]

My chickens have been in their coop for a little over three weeks now and I'm not really happy with the pine shavings in the coop - starting to get kind of smelly and cleaning up all of the pooh is next to impossible with pine shavings. I have a wooden pooh tray under the roosts with a layer of sand in it and it's pretty easy to clean. Since the chickens are still young, they don't always sleep on their roosts so the majority of their nighttime pooh ends up on the floor instead of the pooh tray.

Since the sand is so much easier to clean up I'm thinking of removing all of the shavings and putting down sand. The floor is wood painted with porch paint - will I have to put anything under the sand in the coop to protect the floor or can I just put the sand right on the wood? (I'm thinking sand + chicken feet = sandpaper and will remove the paint)

 

[wac]

Update on changing to sand. I rake my coop and run this morning with an old leaf rake and it was easy to remove the dropping. So far I like the sand much better than shavings. We have finally gotten some rain and I think I will someday cover my run with a tarp to keep it dry.

 

[Ole rooster]

One of the things I like most about using sand is the clean up factor. When I clean the coop or under the coop the sand kind of acts like corn meal when you're breading something to fry. The poop is wet or even lose and the sand "breads" the poop for easy clean up. But that means it needs to be replenished ever so often. And did I say it keeps the coop just about odor free? I love it.