Sand vs Pine Shavings

[KyCoop]

It does not fly around in the air.
The only time I've seen a small amount of dust is when I scoop it. They are not in there when I do and it settles right down.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

We definitely burn cedar in our wood burning stove. Not only cedar because of its oil content but it’s definitely burned inside.

I have lots of cedar. It makes one heck of a bonfire with the oils.
I also use crushed pine needle oil for cover scent when hunting..rub a bit on my gear, hat, ect. Maybe that is not a good idea if it's toxic?

 

[topochico225]

I'm in South Louisiana. I tried using sand in my Omlet Eglu for about 2 weeks before giving up. It was a fiasco. If the sand got the tiniest bit wet, it would not dry in my humid climate. Even though I scooped the poop frequently, flies were swarming the coop. When I gave up and dumped the whole thing in the compost/flower beds, I discovered that some enterprising ants had populated the very bottom layer.

 

[MIchickenlady]

I purchased discounted bags with small holes of construction grade sand at Home Depo for .50 cents or 1.00 each. I mix it with Sweet PDZ horse stall refresher, scoop poop every other day & dispose in trash like kitty litter. Works great for me in Michigan climate with my small coop. *Key-it MUST be DRY sand.

 

[MIchickenlady]

I will say, the bottom of my 2 story coop got flooded recently and it was AWFUL shoveling out all the old stinky wet sand that smelled like ammonia 3 days after the bad rains. I dont do outdoor sand now, wood chips, lawn clippings.

 

[MTR]

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?

Unless your going to treat the sand like cat litter go with pine shavings. I use straw in mine with good results. Only clean it out 2 times a year.
I used sand on n my run and it got really stinky. In the coop it would stay drier but the sand has no odor neutralizing property.

 

[K0k0shka]

I have young children, too, so my top priorities for the coop bedding (and chickens in general) are 1) do as little work as possible because I don't have the time, and 2) keep it clean enough that I feel comfortable sending my kids in there to play with the chickens. My current setup checks both boxes and I'm very happy with it. I have a thick layer of pine shavings in the coop. The poop disappears in the fluff and dries out, and it takes several months for the bedding to start looking dirty. When it does, I throw a layer of clean shavings over everything (about once every month or two). That's it. I don't have poop boards (don't want to clean them every day/week/etc.) and I only clean the coop twice a year. The shavings keep everything dry. I might stir it around occasionally, but that's it. It doesn't smell. I clean it out in the fall and in the spring. When I clean it out in the spring, I put the used shavings in a compost bin. I don't have time to stir it or tend to it, so it doesn't really do anything there. When I do the fall clean out though, I bury the used shavings from that clean out, plus the ones from the bin, in my garden, mixing them around with the soil and making sure they're covered with more soil. In my climate, I don't plant until the end of May, so the buried shavings have a good 8 months underground to break down in the garden. This works great for me and is incredibly low maintenance. Highly recommend it!

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

I have young children, too, so my top priorities for the coop bedding (and chickens in general) are 1) do as little work as possible because I don't have the time, and 2) keep it clean enough that I feel comfortable sending my kids in there to play with the chickens. My current setup checks both boxes and I'm very happy with it. I have a thick layer of pine shavings in the coop. The poop disappears in the fluff and dries out, and it takes several months for the bedding to start looking dirty. When it does, I throw a layer of clean shavings over everything (about once every month or two). That's it. I don't have poop boards (don't want to clean them every day/week/etc.) and I only clean the coop twice a year. The shavings keep everything dry. I might stir it around occasionally, but that's it. It doesn't smell. I clean it out in the fall and in the spring. When I clean it out in the spring, I put the used shavings in a compost bin. I don't have time to stir it or tend to it, so it doesn't really do anything there. When I do the fall clean out though, I bury the used shavings from that clean out, plus the ones from the bin, in my garden, mixing them around with the soil and making sure they're covered with more soil. In my climate, I don't plant until the end of May, so the buried shavings have a good 8 months underground to break down in the garden. This works great for me and is incredibly low maintenance. Highly recommend it!

That sounds like a fantastic idea. The soil here is rocky and deprived of nutrients I’m sure it would love a good mix added into it.

 

[papajoesfarm]

I have coops with wood floors, and use pine shavings from one of the feed stores or Tractor Supply. The runs are dirt floors. There are poop boards under the roosts in the coops. Every day the poop boards are cleaned off, and the harvest goes into compost bins, or straight to the field if I am plowing or cultivating that day. And yup, you can use the poop when it's fresh. It's just "country honey".

I regularly shovel out chips from the coop and use it as mulch around the flower beds and on vegetable rows. Nothing goes to waste. I wouldn't want to use sand, it would be just too difficult, and lately, expensive.

 

[Applejax83]

Pine shavings in the coop and mulch/wood chips in the run. Super easy to maintain.