Sand or shavings?

[Chicken Chalet]

We are just finishing our 6'x8' walk in coop. I coated the floor with an epoxy to make cleaning easier. I am wondering should we put down sand inside or shavings? I was thinking shavings but I see a lot of peeps using sand. Which is easier to maintain? If sand what type and best method for scooping poo? Should also add I am making a poop catcher for under the roosting area. So that should help catch most poo.

 

[thegreatwhite]

i have a 10" layer of sand in my run and use chopped bermuda hay in my coop. for cleaning the sand, i bought a cat litter scoop on an extending handle. just scoop, shake, and plop it in a bucket

 

[TalkALittle]

I'm currently using a sand/pdz mixture on the poop boards and shavings on the floor. Prior to that I used sand on the floor as well. Surprisingly, I like the shavings better for the floor. It is softer for the birds to jump down from the roosts onto than the sand. The coop is less dusty (because they aren't dust bathing in the coop and kicking up a bunch of sand). The only thing is that the shavings are more easily tracked out of the coop on my shoes. I would say that 99% of my girls poops are on the poop boards. They just don't spend much time in the coop during the day except to lay. If I see a big poop in the shavings I just scoop it with the same kitty litter scoop I use for the sand on the poop boards. I got rid of the sand on the floor because in the middle of this spring's remodel the rain got in and soaked half the sand. Once wet it takes a long while to dry in the coop so I shoveled it all out. Before I could get some to replace it, I happened to be at the feed store and they had a torn bag of shavings discounted so I got it instead. With the poop boards the coop stays so clean that both are equally easy for me so I based my decision on what I think makes the girls more comfortable.

 

[Wise Woman]

I switched from shavings to sand about a year and a half ago and I just hate it. I read how wonderful it was and thought I would give it a try. Our coop is 10' by 6' and I have to get on my hands and knees and clean it out each week. It is like a giant litter box and I have poop boards, (which I also hate, but that is another story) but they still manage to poop all over the floor as well. In corners, behind their feeder, anywhere it is difficult to get to, there by forcing me onto my hands and knees with a kitty litter scooper. Then they kick out the shavings from their nest boxes into the sand as well as throw their sunflower seeds and oyster shell all over it. It is always a mess.

I don't want to be cleaning my coop every single day of my life, so I will never have sand again. It is also very cold in the winter and when water got spilled in there during a cold spell, it was a horrible mess with wet sand everywhere, which had to be removed. Oh, and did I mention the dust? Since we installed the sand, our coop is at least twice, maybe even 3 times as dusty as it ever was with the pine shavings. I don't know why, but it is horrible. I have to take the shop vac to the coop every couple of weeks. I have a fan in there for them and if I just turn it on without running the shop vac first, it is like a dust storm. Can't be good for their breathing.

We are building a new coop soon and I will go back to pine shavings and never look back again. I used pine shavings with no problems for 11 years. I will never know why I messed with a winning system in the first place. Really think long and hard before you use sand in the coop. In my experience, sand is extremely high maintenance. It might be ok in the run, I never used it there as our run is pretty large. But I will never put it in a coop ever again. Of course, this is just my opinion and findings, your mileage may vary. HTH