Sand floor?

[wesley m]

I will be building a larger coop for my chickens. I have 15 chickens and I am planning on the coop to be 8'Lx3'Wx4'T. The nesting boxes will be about 3ft in the air atached to the long wall. Down below I want to put in some linoleum for ease of cleaning when I need to. However the idea of putting a couple inches of sand in the bottom crossed my mind. This would give them a soft bottom to walk on (plus they like dirt baths dont they?), and I can just scoop out poop like in a litter box. The nesting boxes will be wooden cubicles with plastic containers in them and be full of pine shavings for their comfort. Is the sand a good idea or a bad idea? I know it will be cold in the winter but will it be too cold? I read that they can get leg issues from walking on slippery surfaces like linoleum. any other suggestions?

 

[hannahrachel]

Yes, sand is a GREAT idea! Before I switched to deep litter, I used sand, and it was soo much easier to clean than dirt--plus, it doesn't pack easily, which made it better for my chickens to scratch in.

 

[wesley m]

Should I still put linoleum in the bottom or should I just seal the particle board with polyeurothane and put the sand in?

 

[hannahrachel]

It really depends on how much work you want to put in. Personally, I'd go ahead and put the linoleum down, just in case you try sand and it doesn't suit your fancy. Good luck!