Sand

[AccentOnHakes]

Hmm. I've been looking, and a bunch of you guys seem to have white sand. Well, I just bought sand for my coop yesterday, and it's grey. It's silica sand. The bag said it was okay to use in pet areas, it also said it was fine to use in cat litter boxes. The problem is, the chooks will eat it for grit. Please tell me it's okay to use. I've already put it in the coop, but no chickens in there yet.

 

[Nava]

I got sand in my coop, but I've never heard of grey sand

what else it it mixed with?

mine would eat it and I have not bought any grit since and have not had a soft egg, my sand I get it by the ton $30 but since DH works in construction I get it for free I have unlimited supply.

 

[Nava]

Just looked up silica sand, this is just my opinion ( I personally would not use it with my chickens )

ETA: all that comes to my mind is a chicken sand bathing and throwing that fine sand every where

Because of the fine grains involved in silica sand, it can present a health risk if not properly handled. In projects where products containing silica sand are being cut or pounded, such as demolition projects involving concrete, or sandblasting operations, care must be taken to keep the silica sand out of the lungs. Failure to wear a respirator or mask can result in lung irritation, and prolonged exposure can cause a chronic condition known as silicosis. Silicosis has no ready treatment, and can cause severe pain or death. Additionally, silicosis increases the likelihood of secondary infections, such as tuberculosis, and has been linked to an increased incidence of lung cancer. As a result, all materials containing more than 0.1% of silica sand must be clearly labeled, and workplace health codes apply.​

 

[wannabchick]

What kind of sand then would all of advise to purchase
And from where?
It seems like their is all kinds of different sand out there

 

[Baymen Moe]

I purchased a coarse washed sand from a landscape supply yard. Cheaper by the ton if you need a lot. No stones larger than 3/8in in the mix. A great product for the chicken run.

 

[AccentOnHakes]

Quote:

Uh-oh. This is not good. I did notice it threw up a fine dust when I poured it out. Ugh. I KNEW I should have gone to buy the sand with my parents...but I was lazy. I asked them to get coarse sand; naturally they got the cheapest one. I should have just stuck with the play sand, even though it's fine sand. D: I really don't want to ask them to go out and get more, plus what would I do with the silica sand sitting in the coop?

Any ideas?

The only good thing is that the sand is only in the coop, not all over the run(they will be free ranging in the yard).

 

[Nava]

just throw some coarse sand on to of it, and I'm just curios why put sand in the coop? if they have a run, how big is the coop?

 

[Lbrad7]

Quote:
I agree..just throw some coarse sand on top of it and let them mix it in. If they have a run it will soon me scattered everywhere anyway and you will have to add more every year or so...just keep buying the more coarse sand when you replace it in the future and you should be fine.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Sand in the coop works like sand in the run: it's easy to keep clean by scooping the droppings out of it. I use a reptile litter scoop taped to a long handle so I don't have to bend over.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
They'll peck at it and arrange it to their liking as they're dustbathing in it, but sand is far too fine to serve as grit. You will still want to provide standard granite grit for poultry to your chickens.