Sand in the brooder -- it's worth it!

[kada6305]

I was wondering the same thing! I just want to put a small container in the brooder with sand, not sand the whole thing. Is repti sand safe without being mixed with play sand?

thats what I want to do ! lol wanted to do the same for my chickens an ducks both but not sure if its safe for them?

 

[missnu01]

I haven't used sand for my chickens, but have tried it for my ducks...it doesn't help..they make it just as gross as can be...I mean maybe if I sifted in as clean as I could get, and then soaked it in bleach and then baked it dry I could reuse it, but it's easier to just use something I can toss out everyday..
I think sand is an awesome idea in brooders though. I can see a million reasons why it would be great. We use hay though because it's cheap, composts well and a bale goes a long way. I don't notice the chickens smelling either though...so...perhaps I just have fewer at a time, or because our coop is so large they haven't been able to muck it up yet...I don't know.

I have tried giving my chicks sand to dust bathe in but they all just line up on the edges and eat it..they will get up in it and scratch around a little bit, but inevitably they just end up dumping it all out...

 

[kada6305]

well chickens use it to dust bathe. So i wanted to do half sand and half pine shavings for them but as for the ducks I figured itd be easier to scoop dirts sand than the pine shavings lol

 

[Barbedwirecat]

I use a spare bathroom inside for my brooder right now. I would LOVE to figure out how to make this work without killing the bathtub drain LOL!! Of course this won't help on the floor and toilet since this guys are a month old and already bouncing and flapping everywhere.

 

[bayoudragon]

I was wondering the same thing! I just want to put a small container in the brooder with sand, not sand the whole thing. Is repti sand safe without being mixed with play sand?

Depending on the brand, reptile sand is probably even safer. I know Zoo Med's sand is all natural, chemical and dye free. Some people like to keep their desert reptiles on sand because it looks natural and encourages normal burrowing behavior. The problem with sand is that reptiles can accidentally ingest too much and cause compaction. This shouldn't be a problem with chickens as they are supposed to eat things like sand for grit. I think a reptile sand would be fine... just read the label and make sure it's an all natural quartz or silica product. There are some sands for reptiles that are calcium-based or have extra vitamins and such added that give them a little boost if they accidentally ingest some. I would stay clear of those, as the extra calcium/vitamins may cause severe metabolic problems with the chicks if they eat too much.

 

[OlivesMama]

Another vote for sand in the brooder/coop.

Benefits:

dries the poop quickly so it is less likely to stick to their feet
almost no odor
keeps the brooder dry
used as grit
used as a dust bath
very easy to scoop or skim the top layer of poop out
inexpensive

I LOVE using sand and wish I would have started out with it in the brooders. The pellets are so expensive and they stink. It took a lot of moisture to make them break down to sawdust and become absorbent. I will be using sand in my coop as well.

 

[kada6305]

okay wonderful looks like we will be getting sand tonight ! my chicks TRY to dust bathe in their pine shavings...dont work as well though lol

 

[Bellatrixed]

Yes, reptile sand is safe for chicks! The only reason I used play sand at all is because it was SO dirt cheap in comparison to the tiny little bags of expensive reptile sand, lol. I much preferred the reptile sand, so much easier to scoop with no big rocks like the play sand has.

missnu01 - I put my goslings on pine shavings rather than sand for that very reason. They get their area so nasty so fast that it's nicer to just clean it all out! But since chickens are much more dry, I find it works great for them... just not waterfowl, in my experience!

I'm glad this thread is still helping people.

 

[kada6305]

Yes, reptile sand is safe for chicks! The only reason I used play sand at all is because it was SO dirt cheap in comparison to the tiny little bags of expensive reptile sand, lol. I much preferred the reptile sand, so much easier to scoop with no big rocks like the play sand has.

missnu01 - I put my goslings on pine shavings rather than sand for that very reason. They get their area so nasty so fast that it's nicer to just clean it all out! But since chickens are much more dry, I find it works great for them... just not waterfowl, in my experience!

I'm glad this thread is still helping people.

well we couldnt find and reptile sand that didn't have added calcium or vitamins and wasn't sure if it would be harmful so we just got a 50 lb bag of play sand....wow didn't realize how much cheaper! i don't plant on having the entire brooder sand. the half under the light will be pine shavings because I heard about the light heating sand up too hot for them, and then the cool side will be sand for dust bathing

 

[kada6305]

here is the setup we have now so far so good, there are checking out the sand hah