Sand in poop trays?

[Bear4boo]

We put boot trays beneath the roosts in the coop to catch the bulk of the droppings. We fill the trays with Sweet PDZ and scoop them daily. It has been working really well except that the PDZ is dusty when scooping and I’ve been reading about the risk of histoplasmosis. Does anyone that uses poop trays use sand in the trays? I’m thinking there would be no dust with that? Just trying to decide if I should make a switch.

 

[DobieLover]

We fill the trays with Sweet PDZ

Granular or powdered form?
I used to mix granular with powdered and found the sand made it too dusty.

 

[Bear4boo]

Granular or powdered form?
I used to mix granular with powdered and found the sand made it too dusty.

I am using granular

 

[DobieLover]

I am using granular

It does have some dust to it. I had always used it but switched to coffee ground bedding. It is much lighter, less expensive, has practically no dust and composts well. But I can't seem to find it locally any longer.
Ironically enough, I just got off the phone with a local TSC store and asked why they didn't have any in stock or available to order online and was told it's seasonal. I asked why. She said they get it in during spring chick days which makes no sense to me because using it with chicks isn't a good idea because they could eat it not having learned that it isn't food.
I'll have to transition back to PDZ for the winter but plan to purchase enough bags of coffee ground bedding to get me through and entire year next year.
You might want to consider doing the same.

 

[aart]

the risk of histoplasmosis

This comes from the poop not the PDZ.

Does anyone that uses poop trays use sand in the trays?

Depending on the type of sand, it can be dustier than the PDZ.
I used to mix sand with the PDZ to save some money, but the sand I used to get was washed and kiln dried so very little dust. It became unavailable so I went to straight PDZ.

switched to coffee ground bedding. It is much lighter, less expensive, has practically no dust and composts well.

Do the coffee grounds absorb the ammonia like PDZ does?
Aren't coffee grounds considered a "green" in the compost recipes?

 

[DobieLover]

Do the coffee grounds absorb the ammonia like PDZ does?

I smell no ammonia when I'm cleaning in the morning. It not being mineral with the capability of absorbing the ammonia I doubt that it does but because I clean every morning it's a moot point. For people who want to leave the poop load in and only clean one a week, probably not the best choice.

Aren't coffee grounds considered a "green" in the compost recipes?

It is a green for sure, but it's still composts better than the PDZ. I pick up buckets of very fine sawdust at a local pallet manufacturer where I get pallet scrap to burn in my wood stove and layer that over a fresh bucket of manure being dumped into the compost bin. That really helps accelerate the rate and knocks the stench factor down by several notches. I don't turn my compost regularly like you're supposed to but I'll tell you, by spring, I've got one hell of a nice pile waiting for me.

 

[saysfaa]

I tried sand on the poop boards. I didn't notice it being dustier than the PDZ I used earlier. I'm going back to PDZ, though, because it absorbs better.

 

[Cardi B]

what about kitty litter? would that work?

 

[aart]

what about kitty litter? would that work?

Short answer is, No.