Sand for coop & run.

[jwyles]

Don't use play sand. It clumps when wet, instead of sand castles you will have poop castles. Get washed multi purpose sand at Lowes. It is around $4 for a 50 lb bag. Since it does not clump when wet your girls will also dust bathe in it. I keep some in a sand box for my girls during the winter. They love it. View attachment 1281546

POOP CASTLES Funny thought but no thank you!!!!

 

[TeenageRooster's Dad]

Sand works for a dust bath, however I prefer to use wood ash, such as from a wood stove. The chickens love it and it helps to protect them from lice/mites. I put mine in an old tire and replenish as the girls 'kick' it out.

Wait, ashes? I can see them loving it but don't they turn into lil' chimney cleaners? I guess fully burnt ashes would be clean enough? Curious.


Don't call CPS (Chicken Protection Services) but I use beach sand I picked up in Carlsbad when no checkered Vans wearing SoCal douche wasn't looking... them seem to love it.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I've decided I'm going to call some quarries around my home and ask about river sand first then masonry sand if they don't have river sand. $28 for a ton is exactly the kind of price I'm talking about too! The cheaper the better! @HenOnAJuneBug & no I really don't know how much I need... hoping my hubby will figure that one out for me

$28/ton was my pickup price. Delivered will be more. One ton hardly fills a 8-foot p/u truck bed. It covered about 160 sq ft to about a 2-3" depth.

River sand is the best because it's not so dusty; I wish I could get some.

 

[chickenmeadow]

Play sand here is generally $5 for 50 or more pounds & is sold in bags at sand/gravel/block/rock companies; or tube woven bags of sand is sold at some gas stations for weight in trucks/autos for better snow driving, also for ground flood water control around ditches, etc. This week I picked up some heavier/less dusty sand in my 5 gallon buckets at the sand/gravel/block/rock company for $1.35 each & they even shoveled it for me; a very good deal; will use this less dusty stuff on the floor of my coop when the old sand is cleaned out in spring (old stuff mixed will some loose straw/hay will go out in the run, nothing is wasted).

Play sand is a little dusty (I don't like using it as a base on the floors because of so much chicken scratching up dust) & clumps very well, making it good in sand trays for chicken litter collection under my roosts in the coop & is dumped into the compost pile. Courser sand works well enough also. Every morning I use a kitty litter scoop to easily scoop up the clumps of wet chicken droppings (it removes unwanted moisture, ammonia/odors, fly attraction, & gives another walking around level of clean floor space for the chickens in my 6x8 coop. The best set-up every for me after trying other methods in 2 other coops over the years.

The pic is of the inside of my coop showing the sand trays, here in the messy winter of Oregon. The red light is temporary for a recent broody hatch of chicks. Best wishes.

 

[chickenmeadow]

Wait, ashes? I can see them loving it but don't they turn into lil' chimney cleaners? I guess fully burnt ashes would be clean enough? Curious.


Don't call CPS (Chicken Protection Services) but I use beach sand I picked up in Carlsbad when no checkered Vans wearing SoCal douche wasn't looking... them seem to love it.

It's weird to see the Blk Australorps in my flock after they have just bathed in my "chicken dust bath" mix, their beautiful sheen is covered til they shake. We often look out to see one or more of our girls shaking off a dust cloud of ash from just bathing in it, they must cleverly avoid breathing it in with their shaking off. They just never get enough of the dusting ritual every day, it's a chicken thing. Wood ash is a long time "old farmers" remedy for mites; we field burn downed branches & brush in piles every year & I collect about four 5 gallon buckets full of it every year for my dry "chicken dust bath" mix with ash, sand & a touch of DE (diatomaceous earth). Best wishes.

 

[jwyles]

Play sand here is generally $5 for 50 or more pounds & is sold in bags at sand/gravel/block/rock companies; or tube woven bags of sand is sold at some gas stations for weight in trucks/autos for better snow driving, also for ground flood water control around ditches, etc. This week I picked up some heavier/less dusty sand in my 5 gallon buckets at the sand/gravel/block/rock company for $1.35 each & they even shoveled it for me; a very good deal; will use this less dusty stuff on the floor of my coop when the old sand is cleaned out in spring (old stuff mixed will some loose straw/hay will go out in the run, nothing is wasted).

Play sand is a little dusty (I don't like using it as a base on the floors because of so much chicken scratching up dust) & clumps very well, making it good in sand trays for chicken litter collection under my roosts in the coop & is dumped into the compost pile. Courser sand works well enough also. Every morning I use a kitty litter scoop to easily scoop up the clumps of wet chicken droppings (it removes unwanted moisture, ammonia/odors, fly attraction, & gives another walking around level of clean floor space for the chickens in my 6x8 coop. The best set-up every for me after trying other methods in 2 other coops over the years.

The pic is of the inside of my coop showing the sand trays, here in the messy winter of Oregon. Best wishes.View attachment 1281866

Thank you! I really like that setup! May steal some of your ideas!

 

[Joeschooks]

I used sharp sand (8” deep) in my old run. If you’re going to use sand, that’s the one to get. It also provides them with grit in a choice of sizes and the chickens love to dust bathe in it. A word of advice though, I really do not recommend using sand in uncovered areas. When it gets wet it’s a nightmare to pick the poo out, it just all clumps together. All will seem fine for the first 2-3 months but for me, spending 40 mins a day bent over with a cat litter scoop sifting through every inch of run quickly became a real chore. Even being this particular and scooping poos daily, some still sink down beneath the surface and after a couple of months it turns black, smelly and nasty under the surface. You shouldn’t have these problems if it’s kept dry or if you live in a very dry climate.

 

[jwyles]

I used sharp sand (8” deep) in my old run. If you’re going to use sand, that’s the one to get. It also provides them with grit in a choice of sizes and the chickens love to dust bathe in it. A word of advice though, I really do not recommend using sand in uncovered areas. When it gets wet it’s a nightmare to pick the poo out, it just all clumps together. All will seem fine for the first 2-3 months but for me, spending 40 mins a day bent over with a cat litter scoop sifting through every inch of run quickly became a real chore. Even being this particular and scooping poos daily, some still sink down beneath the surface and after a couple of months it turns black, smelly and nasty under the surface. You shouldn’t have these problems if it’s kept dry or if you live in a very dry climate.

Oh wow! Thank you for that tip!

 

[HenHouse4Life]

When building/planning your permanent coop there are a lot of great ideas for nest boxes also. I have the ratio of 1 nest box for every 4-5 hens. At first I used pine shavings in the boxes but I have found that astroturf is wonderful. Cut it to size, and if they poop on it I just rinse it off. As long as the eggs have a soft landing no matter your choice you'll be good When it comes to 'bedding' I would suggest staying away from straw. Straw is good for insulating but once it gets moisture it gets moldy and you will have an unhealthy, stinky mess on your hands. I hope your chicken adventure is awesome! We started with 4 hens. .. we now have 32. A neighbor stopped by the other day and said "Nice garage you're building".... my husband shook his head, smiled and said "That's the new chicken coop!"

 

[Joeschooks]

When building/planning your permanent coop there are a lot of great ideas for nest boxes also. I have the ratio of 1 nest box for every 4-5 hens. At first I used pine shavings in the boxes but I have found that astroturf is wonderful. Cut it to size, and if they poop on it I just rinse it off. As long as the eggs have a soft landing no matter your choice you'll be good When it comes to 'bedding' I would suggest staying away from straw. Straw is good for insulating but once it gets moisture it gets moldy and you will have an unhealthy, stinky mess on your hands. I hope your chicken adventure is awesome! We started with 4 hens. .. we now have 32. A neighbor stopped by the other day and said "Nice garage you're building".... my husband shook his head, smiled and said "That's the new chicken coop!"

I’m glad you mentioned AstroTurf. I was wondering about this myself because I’m building a new coop and would like roll-out nest boxes so I won’t be able to use any “loose” nesting materials as they’ll slide off the slope lol