Sand versus Pine shavings

[danieltony010]

Today I finished the last steps in constructing my chicken run and coop. My coop has a dirt flooring and initially I was planning to put down pine shavings but after reading the following article, Using sand in your chicken coop, I am leaning towards putting sand on the flooring and poop board. For my brooder, I am thinking about putting pine shavings instead of sand. I would appreciate any feedback on my next planned task.

 

[3KillerBs]

Despite the fact that I live on sand and so wouldn't even need to buy it, I rejected the idea of sand for coop and run due to the fact that it has to be cleaned frequently, even daily.

I prefer deep bedding in the coop so that I only need clean it once every 6-12 weeks depending on materials and weather (straw didn't last as long as shavings, both last longer in cool, dry weather -- I do top off every couple weeks between clean-outs). I prefer deep litter in the run so that I only have to clean it when it has piled up to an inconvenient height or when I want compost for the garden.

Call me lazy if you want to, but even if it only takes 15 minutes to pooper scoop a sand-bedded coop that's 15 minutes I could be using for something else -- even if that something else is only not standing in the rain with a pooper scooper on a wet, windy, winter day with the temperature just above freezing.

 

[aart]

I'll scoop poop boards daily but not the floor.

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 5 years.

 

[danieltony010]

I'll scoop poop boards daily but not the floor.

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 5 years.

Thanks for your response. Your description of how you manage your cleaning is very informative. I was leaning towards putting sand on my coop floor, but this morning I have a change of mind. I will put down pine shavings 3" thick in my coop (Is this too thick?). I now believe that I can cover my coop for less money with pine shavings rather than sand. Also, it will be easier to put down pine shavings rather than sand. For one I am fearful that I will get my truck stuck hauling in sand, as my coop is down a hill. Secondly, I cannot roll the sand into my coop with a wheel barrow, will have to haul it in one 5 gallon bucket at a time. This is really more than a one man job. With the pine shavings, I can haul the packages down the hill in a wheel barrow and haul them in by hand and spread quickly. I am thinking that I will need 6 of the 8 cubic feet bags to cover a 13 feet by 12 feet area. Does this sound about right?
My biggest concerns with pine shavings is feed loss because I have noticed my baby chicks like to scratch the feed out of their feeders. Secondly, the building that I have renovated for my chicken coop has had a termite infestation. Any thoughts?
One last thing, in your post you mention "PDZ" and "cecal". As a newbie, I am unfamiliar with those term? Can you enlighten me?

 

[danieltony010]

Despite the fact that I live on sand and so wouldn't even need to buy it, I rejected the idea of sand for coop and run due to the fact that it has to be cleaned frequently, even daily.

I prefer deep bedding in the coop so that I only need clean it once every 6-12 weeks depending on materials and weather (straw didn't last as long as shavings, both last longer in cool, dry weather -- I do top off every couple weeks between clean-outs). I prefer deep litter in the run so that I only have to clean it when it has piled up to an inconvenient height or when I want compost for the garden.

Call me lazy if you want to, but even if it only takes 15 minutes to pooper scoop a sand-bedded coop that's 15 minutes I could be using for something else -- even if that something else is only not standing in the rain with a pooper scooper on a wet, windy, winter day with the temperature just above freezing.

When you say "deep bedding in the coop", how many inches are you talking about? When you say "deep litter in the run", what kind of material and how deep?

 

[thebestcasey]

Today I finished the last steps in constructing my chicken run and coop. My coop has a dirt flooring and initially I was planning to put down pine shavings but after reading the following article, Using sand in your chicken coop, I am leaning towards putting sand on the flooring and poop board. For my brooder, I am thinking about putting pine shavings instead of sand. I would appreciate any feedback on my next planned task.

Sand is amazing for the run. I currently use sand in the chickens run. Hay in the nesting box and coop.
Duck coop has hay exclusively right now because i used all the wood shavings in their brooder.

 

[3KillerBs]

When you say "deep bedding in the coop", how many inches are you talking about? When you say "deep litter in the run", what kind of material and how deep?

I started with about 4-6 inches in the coop and added a little more every couple weeks as it seemed to need it -- both because it got dirty and because all their scratching around broke the shavings down.

I started with about 6-8 inches in the run and kept adding more in roughly 4-6-inch layers as it composted down. Eventually it got inconveniently deep and would spill out when I opened the run door or I'd want compost so I'd fork a bunch out and start over.

Exactly how much I'd add to the run at one time depended on the particular material. Shavings are denser so went on thinner. Pine straw and leaves are fluffy so went on thicker. I didn't spread them myself though -- just dumped a big pile in the middle and let the chickens have the fun of kicking it around.

 

[3KillerBs]

My biggest concerns with pine shavings is feed loss because I have noticed my baby chicks like to scratch the feed out of their feeders.

There are feeders made with an inner lip that discourages raking feed out. You can also raise the feeder to the height of the chickens' backs -- gauge by the tallest hen and give any shorties a block to stand on.

 

[danieltony010]

I started with about 4-6 inches in the coop and added a little more every couple weeks as it seemed to need it -- both because it got dirty and because all their scratching around broke the shavings down.

I started with about 6-8 inches in the run and kept adding more in roughly 4-6-inch layers as it composted down. Eventually it got inconveniently deep and would spill out when I opened the run door or I'd want compost so I'd fork a bunch out and start over.

Exactly how much I'd add to the run at one time depended on the particular material. Shavings are denser so went on thinner. Pine straw and leaves are fluffy so went on thicker. I didn't spread them myself though -- just dumped a big pile in the middle and let the chickens have the fun of kicking it around.

So you have tried pine shavings and pine straw and leaves in your run?

 

[3KillerBs]

So you have tried pine shavings and pine straw and leaves in your run?

Yes, I used them for my in-town chickens and had no odor problem as long as I kept enough dry litter in the run. It made compost so beautiful that I actually filled a rolling garbage can with what I had left in order to move it to this property.