SAND-okay on the floor inside the coop??

[SAHMof2]

Perfect. No sand inside for me. Thank you!

 

[pawsplus]

Does it not matter what kind of sand one uses? I'm most likely to get childrens' play sand, as that will be easier for me to haul (in bags, as I don't have a truck w/ a bed for bulk sand). Is that OK? This is for use outside.

 

[kelidei]

Quote:
I would seriously seriously not even remotely consider using sand indoors in Alberta. It is just asking for frostbit toes and footless or dead chickens.

Sand indoors is NOT a good plan for Northern climates.


Pat

Well that answers it for me... DH and I were just having this conversation. Sand is so easy to take care of in the runs... but I was not so sure about the cold weather in our winters...

 

[capebird]

PatandChickens....what do you consider "northern climates".... would Massachusetts count?
If the below freezing cold is an issue (with sand)... maybe I'd use sand in the spring, summer
and fall months.... and switch over to pine shavings in the winter months.

 

[capebird]

I just got back from the local cement yard. The guy there
let me fill up my 30 gallon garbage pail with coarse sand for
$5. I took it home, built a small screen frame and washed the
sand through the screen. I spread the wet / washed sand on a
plastic sheet and it's drying in the sun. When dry, I'll put it on the
coop floor and see how that works.

 

[ninabeast]

Does it not matter what kind of sand one uses? I'm most likely to get childrens' play sand, as that will be easier for me to haul (in bags, as I don't have a truck w/ a bed for bulk sand). Is that OK? This is for use outside.

My research says the most important thing is that the sand is washed, and, yes, play sand is washed. If you get play sand, you will also have to provide grit, as the grain won't be coarse enough. I got washed all purpose sand, which has a nice variety of sizes. It's working GREAT, by the way.​

 

[andrea98]

Where do you get DE???

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
What part of MA are you in? I.e. how cold is most of your winter (coldest lows, and typical January day temps).

I don't know about exact numbers, it's not like there's a specific sharp cutoff. Somewhere that gets below freezing at night but often above freezing during the day, probably not so bad. Somewhere that's usually below freezing but not *lots* below freezing, it's not exactly doing your birds any favors but you may not have major problems. If you get a LOT below freezing and have many days like that, though, it's kind of a kick-me sign to have chickens forced to stand/walk on a surface that is extremely conductive and high-thermal-mass (i.e. "sucks the heat right out of their feet"). I don't know what to tell ya about numbers, it's a judgement call I guess.

Pat

 

[Tikkijane]

Quote:
FOOD grade DE is different from regular DE- from what I've read, food grade is necessary....

 

[Keltara]

I don't understand why sand would be a problem in the winter

? If you keep it clean, how could it hurt the chickens feet? The sand in my coop is very dry. We just built our coop, and it is warm out, but the sand is great. It's very clean smelling and only takes 1 to 2 min. to clean with a kitty litter scoop each day. The poop dries immediately in the sand. I just don't understand why it would be bad for winter if it was kept clean.