Sand or shavings in brooder?

[From the North]

I noticed on some older threads that people spoke of using "play" sand in their brooders instead of shavings. What are the pros/cons of using sand vs shavings? Does anyone use straw or hay?

 

[debid]

I used chopped straw (run through a wood chipper). It works great -- soft and fluffy. I considered sand but it's very heavy and I wouldn't have been able to move the brooder once it had a few inches of sand.

 

[Lolachick07]

This spring, I'm probably going to use sand because of how easy it is to clean. But, like debid said, it'll be heavy...

 

[Lolachick07]

This spring, I'm probably going to use sand because of how easy it is to clean. But, like debid said, it'll be heavy...

 

[Chambertin]

Sand is great, so long as you keep it pretty dry.
Its easly to clean, will help dry out litter, keeps the area dry from occasional water splashes.
However if you let it get too wet its a real bother to clean and dry out. Make sure you keep an eye on the water because if one tips over its such a mess.
I could be imagining things but at least the pullets did better with their food when they were on sand compared to just chips or other materials. I think the sand acts well as a baby-grit. Again, could just be something else.

 

[RWise]

I use dirt from the hen yard, or from under a leaf pile, they go nuts digging stuff (bugs worms eggs roots, etc) out and the games are on! Yes it gets heavy, I dump the "litter" in the garden where the hens go pick out any food that was lost to the floor. Went out and got some nice soft dead/dormant grass for a nest and they ate it! They liked it way more than I thought they would.