Sand in brooder??

[WhoDatChick]

What do yall think about putting play sand in the brooder as bedding?
Last year I put it in as a dust bath/play area and it worked fine.. so was wondering if it’d work as bedding... I have it in my coop and find it so easy to keep clean..

@mixedUPturk

 

[mixedUPturk]

Its not very absorbent, w jus your lil quattro, maybe it would work alright but be on the lookout that it doesnt get too wet and not dry or else it could mold

 

[Peepsi]

I've heard that play sand is not good for coops/brooders/runs. It has fine particles that can cause respiratory problems in chickens. I too, want sand in my upcoming chicken run (just started to build it yesterday) but am having trouble finding the right kind of sand. I've heard that the particles need to be course, with no 'fines' (those dusty kind of particles).

However, I have no practical experience with sand yet. I'd still worry about the particles from play-sand getting into the chicks lungs, but perhaps someone else has tried it with success. Good luck, I'm curious to hear other's comments.

 

[Gigi Gigi]

I've been doing a lot of research on this lately, but have come up with very contradictory information. First though what I did find that was pretty much across the board was not to use play sand, but instead use construction grade or river sand as it's more coarse and less likely to cause respiratory issues. At first everything I found online about using river sand sounded amazing and I was sure that what we would be using. Now I'm not so sure. Some people swore by sand and said it was better for the chickens and more clean and less likely to harbor bacteria. Then I read other articles where people said don't use sand because it was less clean and more likely to harbor bacteria. If I can find some links I'll attach some of the articles I found. Sorry, this isn't more helpful. I've also been asking around to see what people who have actually used river sand have to say.

 

[aart]

Sand can be too dusty.....it will also mix with poops and turn to 'concrete' on chicks feet and toenails.
I used it mixed with PDZ but gave up on it.
I use paper towel over PDZ for a week then move them out to the coop.

 

[R2elk]

What do yall think about putting play sand in the brooder as bedding?
Last year I put it in as a dust bath/play area and it worked fine.. so was wondering if it’d work as bedding... I have it in my coop and find it so easy to keep clean..

@mixedUPturk

I live on a sand dune so sand is my base for everything. I use what is called blow sand. I just shovel it up from outside and use it in my brooder. I have found that sprinkling PDZ before putting a layer of sand in the brooder can be helpful for odor control.

Sand is not the perfect base for a brooder but it works well enough for me especially since it is free. If I had to buy sand, I probably wouldn't use it in the brooder. When I have lots of chicks to brood, I will sometimes add a new layer of sand as a quick clean up of the brooder.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Thanks to everyone

 

[aart]

I live on a sand dune so sand is my base for everything. I use what is called blow sand. I just shovel it up from outside and use it in my brooder. I have found that sprinkling PDZ before putting a layer of sand in the brooder can be helpful for odor control.

Sand is not the perfect base for a brooder but it works well enough for me especially since it is free. If I had to buy sand, I probably wouldn't use it in the brooder. When I have lots of chicks to brood, I will sometimes add a new layer of sand as a quick clean up of the brooder.

Curious @R2elk do you use a fresh batch of sand for each batch of chicks?
How long do you keep them in the brooder?
Do you hatch a lot?
I found sand to be pretty good for sifting out poops, had to rig a pretty fine screen tho,
but eventually the sand became saturated with pulverized poops and stunk if damp even with PDZ mixed in.

 

[R2elk]

Curious @R2elk do you use a fresh batch of sand for each batch of chicks?
How long do you keep them in the brooder?
Do you hatch a lot?
I found sand to be pretty good for sifting out poops, had to rig a pretty fine screen tho,
but eventually the sand became saturated with pulverized poops and stunk if damp even with PDZ mixed in.

Yes, brooder gets cleaned out after each batch of chicks, keets, or poults and fresh start with new batch of sand.

Normally it is two weeks maximum in the brooder before being moved to the grow out pen if they haven't all sold by then.

I usually hatch one batch of chicks a year plus a couple of batches of poults and two or three batches of keets. The turkeys get to hatch their own eggs after I have incubated enough and barring the rare exception, I do put all of their poults in the brooder also. The brooder ends up in constant use from late March through August at least annually.

I have a seemingly unending supply of sand. I just use a shovel and a bucket to get more "bedding" at any time. I never wash the sand and the heat from the brooder heater along with the heat lamps keeps the sand dry.

In my experience, the PDZ is more effective placed below the bedding rather than mixed in or on top of the bedding.