Sand Floor?

[Dani & Mikey]

Exactly!
There's a lot to learn the first year most of it before building the coop/run and before getting chicks. It like getting a sip of water from a fire hose.
There's a lot of info out there, some of it bad....
....most of it OK but there are more than a few ways that work, depending on personal preference, climate, etc,etc,etc.
Best to study long and hard before building coop then getting birds....
....or you can always change and/or redo stuff, stay flexible.

We actually already have a coop. It’s one of those ones from the Amish joints. Its a combination, 6x10. It’s actually nicer than our house which is embarrassing but builders we are not. My close friend is raising 6 chicks for us alongside hers this year. We will get them in about a month. We have been considering getting chickens for many years and finally are doing the damn thing. I had a whole mind set of what I thought would work based on my friends experience and on (so many) hours of reading here and in as many books as I can get my hands on. Then I found that chicken chick site. She does have excellent points and information, but left me feeling like I was all wrong in my plan. I am so glad to have people like you to bounce this stuff off of.
We live in Virginia, so we do get a fair amount of rain and heat. It’s a combo coop and small run but we will be able to free range some. Would you sugggest DL method? I love the idea of poop boards with sand & PDZ. Thank you again for your wisdom!

 

[lissalischicks]

@Dani & Mikey

I have sand everywhere .... but only in the run. I love it. We scoop just like you would in a cat litter box everyday. I even use cat litter scoopers. I always get at the pet store... "oh how many cats do you have?" Which I reply, "They are for my chickens." Then there is silence. It's pretty funny but I think they think I am joking.

I also hide treats in the sand which they love to dig around for and when it rains outside they still have a place to do their dust bathing. Also, I wet the sand and cover it with more sand so the sand is cooler for hot days. I live in California so when it gets hot... it gets hot. I will see the girls dig down into the cool sand and cool off that way.

Just for honestly .... Like I said before, never had anything other than sand so can't really compare . My friend has pine shaving and I did not care for it. It would smell and she would have to do a deep clean of the coop every 2 weeks. If I have to say a con is that it can get dusty but so do pine shavings so ... lol... that's my 2 cents.

I feel like sand is cheaper but I am planning to change out the sand this year to get some fresh clan sand for the girls. But everyone has different ideas on what works for them. I think you will find all sorts of opinions and you will just have to see what works for you.

Oh... on a side note for their coop/pooping board, I used sweet PDZ not sand. It is a life and stink saver!!!!

 

[Dani & Mikey]

@Dani & Mikey

I have sand everywhere .... but only in the run. I love it. We scoop just like you would in a cat litter box everyday. I even use cat litter scoopers. I always get at the pet store... "oh how many cats do you have?" Which I reply, "They are for my chickens." Then there is silence. It's pretty funny but I think they think I am joking.

I also hide treats in the sand which they love to dig around for and when it rains outside they still have a place to do their dust bathing. Also, I wet the sand and cover it with more sand so the sand is cooler for hot days. I live in California so when it gets hot... it gets hot. I will see the girls dig down into the cool sand and cool off that way.

Just for honestly .... Like I said before, never had anything other than sand so can't really compare . My friend has pine shaving and I did not care for it. It would smell and she would have to do a deep clean of the coop every 2 weeks. If I have to say a con is that it can get dusty but so do pine shavings so ... lol... that's my 2 cents.

I feel like sand is cheaper but I am planning to change out the sand this year to get some fresh clan sand for the girls. But everyone has different ideas on what works for them. I think you will find all sorts of opinions and you will just have to see what works for you.

Oh... on a side note for their coop/pooping board, I used sweet PDZ not sand. It is a life and stink saver!!!!

Thank you for your input! I am very interested in how it’s working for other people.
I am definitely interested in sweet PDZ! I just learned about it though my sand in the coop research. It’s sounds pretty amazing!