Sand for Duck House Bedding?

[GoldDogsMom]

So I have been reading that people are using sand in their chicken coops instead of pine shavings...I have always used shavings in my coops but am thinking about trying sand-would be like kitty litter for cleanup!

My question is "has anyone tried sand in a duck house?"

I find I have to clean out the duck house at least once a week and am wondering if sand would keep it drier?

 

[Kevin565]

I've tried sand in my duck coops. I personally loved it but I'm not sure if it will work for all climates.

 

[GoldDogsMom]

because of freezing issues?

 

[Kevin565]

Correct. I'm in Texas so extremely cold weather rarely happens for me but I'm sure it's quite common up North.

 

[GoldDogsMom]

Maybe I will try it for summertime! This winter even the pine shavings froze! Thanks for your responses!

 

[Weep-weep Ducks]

I've never used sand in a duck house, necessarily, but my ducks have a converted dog kennel to which I've added both pea gravel and a couple of types of sand. (Sacks of river sand and play sand from Lowe's.) Thing is, when it gets wet, the ducks love to burrow their little bills in it and eat it for grit; especially if it's right next to their water and gets splashed on a lot. You'll find yourself adding more sand periodically just to fill in their holes...

Used to drive my mother crazy but I learned to accept that as just what ducks do. If I can figure out a way to make use of that habit and get them to do some digging for me, we may just start our own landscaping gig!

Please share how yours works out,

Sharon

 

[GoldDogsMom]

Duck Labor! I love it! My chickens like to help me spread mulch of course they just keep spreading it even after I am satisfied with it

I have a small duck house which they only go in at night so we will see how we do with sand!

Thanks!

 

[jonhpdx]

Please let us know how this works out for you. I'm in the process of converting a chicken coop into a duck coop and have been considering sand for it's low maintenance and easy-to-clean features. The only thing I'm worried about it how it will perform in a rainy climate like Oregon, although the entire coop is under cover so it shouldn't be too big an issue hopefully.

 

[GoldDogsMom]

I will let you know! As soon as it dries out enough to get a load of sand delivered...

My duck house is covered but the ducks make a wet mess anyway! I am thinking that I should be able to clean out the piles and if I mix it up maybe it will dry out thru the day-at least in the summer time

 

[jonhpdx]

I will let you know! As soon as it dries out enough to get a load of sand delivered...

My duck house is covered but the ducks make a wet mess anyway! I am thinking that I should be able to clean out the piles and if I mix it up maybe it will dry out thru the day-at least in the summer time

I'm planning on digging a few inches into the ground to level everything out, then put down a layer of landscaping fabric, 2-4 inches of pea gravel, another layer of landscaping fabric and then several inches of sand. Hopefully with that setup the coop will drain fairly quickly of any water. I've also designed a water-catcher for my ducks waterer, kind of like what I have now in the pen I'm keeping them in currently but a little more robust (essentially, a frame that's about 4'x4' that has a grate on top and a bucket underneath to catch all of the water and droppings that fall through).

My intention is for the sand to act as a big litter box for the ducks, and I can go in a scoop out all of the poop I find on a daily basis which really shouldn't take more than a few minutes a day. Minimizing the amount of water that makes contact with the ground to just the ducks' poop should really help keep things clean.

I'm really trying to minimize the amount of upkeep that I'm going to have to do, even if it costs me a little more money. It's worth it if it means I'm not spending 20 mins a day cleaning a coop!