Sand vs Pine Shavings

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

I know this is a heavily discussed topic.

I’m just having a really hard time figuring out what’s best.

I live in central Arkansas where we have really hot and humid summers and mild winters (except the freak snow storm we had this last winter but apparently that hasn’t happened since the 80s).

Im a stay at home mom with a toddler, scooping the sand in the coop wouldn’t be difficult for me on the daily but keeping her from playing in the sand would.

It’s also about $58/yard and we have a 12x6 coop. Is that pricy? Should we shop around at other quarries? The quarry in our town also doesn’t sell sand. So we already have to drive 30min to get that and the next one is an hour away on the highway…which sounds like a lot of lost sand.

Pine shavings on the other hand get disgusting. I don’t have anywhere to put them once their gross either. I live on a lot of acres but having to tote chips off the general area seems a bit problematic.

The coop is a wooden floor of 2x4s raised around 18 inches off the ground.

Opinions? Suggestions?

 

[Mycrazypets]

I enjoy using pine shavings. They are very affordable and you should only have to change them every week or two depending on the the number of chickens you have/coop size. I can get a large bag of pine/other wood shavings for around 6 or 7 dollars.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I would just do shavings personally.

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

I enjoy using pine shavings. They are very affordable and you should only have to change them every week or two depending on the the number of chickens you have/coop size. I can get a large bag of pine/other wood shavings for around 6 or 7 dollars.

I have 10 - 10 week olds and 9 - 3 week olds.

The problem is what do I do with all the shavings?? Especially every week or 2 that’s pretty often on cleaning it out.

The shavings are cheap upfront but expensive in the long haul since it would take I’m guessing 2 bags to fill the coop and then buying 2 bags every week or two?? Right?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have 10 - 10 week olds and 9 - 3 week olds.

The problem is what do I do with all the shavings?? Especially every week or 2 that’s pretty often on cleaning it out.

The shavings are cheap upfront but expensive in the long haul since it would take I’m guessing 2 bags to fill the coop and then buying 2 bags every week or two?? Right?

I don't clean them out for the most part. I take the soiled ones out and leave the rest. They disintegrate eventually on their own

 

[Mycrazypets]

I have 10 - 10 week olds and 9 - 3 week olds.

The problem is what do I do with all the shavings?? Especially every week or 2 that’s pretty often on cleaning it out.

The shavings are cheap upfront but expensive in the long haul since it would take I’m guessing 2 bags to fill the coop and then buying 2 bags every week or two?? Right?

Yes it would probably take around 2 bags but many people enjoy the deep litter method which does not use as much. I still would prefer this to sand even without that method. You could compost the shavings or through them away in plastic bags like I do.

 

[3KillerBs]

The problem is what do I do with all the shavings?? Especially every week or 2 that’s pretty often on cleaning it out.

With Deep Bedding I clean out only once every 8-12 weeks and then I compost the shavings.


I included a pros and cons list in my article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[aart]

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 7 years.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I know this is a heavily discussed topic.

I’m just having a really hard time figuring out what’s best.

I live in central Arkansas where we have really hot and humid summers and mild winters (except the freak snow storm we had this last winter but apparently that hasn’t happened since the 80s).

Im a stay at home mom with a toddler, scooping the sand in the coop wouldn’t be difficult for me on the daily but keeping her from playing in the sand would.

It’s also about $58/yard and we have a 12x6 coop. Is that pricy? Should we shop around at other quarries? The quarry in our town also doesn’t sell sand. So we already have to drive 30min to get that and the next one is an hour away on the highway…which sounds like a lot of lost sand.

Pine shavings on the other hand get disgusting. I don’t have anywhere to put them once their gross either. I live on a lot of acres but having to tote chips off the general area seems a bit problematic.

The coop is a wooden floor of 2x4s raised around 18 inches off the ground.

Opinions? Suggestions?

Query. If you live on a lot of acres, why don't you use leaf litter??? Cost is a rake, and a little effort. OK, a significant amount of effort the first time you fil it - that's about 1.5 cu yd the first time to a 6" depth. After that, requires very little. I load mine up about once a quarter, takes 7-9 loads in the gorrila cart.

Spent bedding composts extremely well, makes great garden soil for the next year. Also, provides entertainmentto your little dinosaurs, they love scratching around in the stuff.

 

[Outta Here]

Pine smells so wonderful, and many people (including me) have used it for years. But there is evidence that it is toxic. Check out the thread, Pine Shaving Toxic to Chickens. Now I use sand and wonder why I didn't start using it 44 years ago with my first chickens!!! It's sooooo much cleaner and easier to keep clean.
I get free river sand from our desert, but even if I bought it, I wouldn't put it all in at once. I keep a thin layer (maybe 2 inches) and add 2-3 shovelfuls each week, and every couple of months I replace it all from the the sandpile behind the barn.
And I would never use a cat scoop, even on my tiny night coop--I tried it once and said, Phooey to this! and built a screen. I rake with a small rake, then use a dustpan to pour it onto my screen. Then I dump the poop into the compost pile.
It takes me about five minutes every morning to clean (and it's so easy, often I clean before their bedtime, too.). The sand is always dry and without smells. It is coarse enough to not raise dust except when I put the new sand in. And even then, I can eliminate the dust if I shovel it in at ground level instead of throw it in.