sand in the sleeping area???

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

ok i have been reading here alot about how good sand is. ok my question is is it ok to put it in the floor of their sleeping house?

 

[WalkerH]

Yeah, I know lots of people who do. I am looking into it actually. I have it on the brooder floor, it heated up well on the surface and was cool underneath, which was good cause some liked to dust bathe in it and it helped cool them down. It is easy to scoop out too.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

so the sand being somewhat wet under them on the floor wont hurt their breathing while they sleep?

 

[WalkerH]

Mine never got very wet unless they spilled the water. Which was a simple fix. Unless you have ducks in there with the chickens I don't think even the dribbles from water are going to hurt them. I had an incident where the chicks I got liked to hang out in the duck brooder, covered in sand and soaked to the bone when I got home one day. Washed them off and dried them, all of them turned out fine, granted four of the six were males. But no I think they will be fine, I actually like sand, but I also love the smell of hay. So it is a toss up, the only downside to hay is it tends to clump somewhat.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

You can add wood chips as well. The go well together.

 

[WalkerH]

Yeah, just not cedar chips. Although with winter coming you might be better off getting something that will keep them warmer, or getting sand and adding some bedding on top.

 

[Over Easy PA]

What helps keep them warmer in the coop? Pine shavings or hay?

Also, the feed store made a big point of telling me I needed a bale of straw .... not hay .... for in my coop. What is the difference?

I have had pine shavings all summer. Do I need to switch to something else for the winter to be warmer?

 

[IRChicken]

There is a lot of discussion about a sand floor, much from old books, mainly Egg Farming in California by Charles Weeks.
Most who have made the switch to a sand floor in the coop swear by it.

There is some agricultural science also see post #352 for the link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=444759&p=36

 

[WalkerH]

Quote:
No pine shavings are fine. I have read straw is bad because if it is eaten it isn't digested as easily as hay, which is made for animal consumption. As straw is more hard and brittle, more for bedding, but animals don't really know the difference. Or they don't care. Also I have found hay breaks down easier in my compost, which was also a big selling point for me.

 

[IRChicken]

Quote:
Straw is tubular, like a drinking straw, providing a pocket of air for insulation.
In home construction Straw Bales are used for this reason, they provide better insulating value compared to hay.

Sand is a good choice also.