The scoop on sand as bedding!

[chad e]

If it is clean mason sand it should be fine.

 

[aldarita]

I use sand from a lake bank near my house. I put it in the floor of my big coop (10 x 12) over a year ago and also in the run. I clean the poop every day with a "scooper" DH made for me, it has a long handle and a broom, sometimes I do what I call "a poop run" more than once a day, depending on where the girls spend the day, if they stay out most of the time, there is less poop to clean in the run and coop, but if they spend the day in the run (due to weather) then I do the poop runs more often. I have not changed the sand but I add some more every now and then.
I use PDZ in my small coops and roosting boxes. I am very happy with this arrangement because it makes things so easy for me and I believe that keeping the environment clean, the girls are healthy.

 

[thoth3g]

Thinking of using sweet pdz....still setting up coop for this next spring. No reason I couldn't spread that everywhere you guess instead of just under roost?

 

[otterway]

I have really been thinking about adding sand to the runs if not the coops themselves. We try tilling it up to keep the ground cleaned up and have areas where we plant grass for them, but every time it rains it becomes such a mess! Especially near the duck pond..

 

[dsbailey70]

My coop and runs sit on 'frame' of 4x4's, on a 6" concrete slab. I put a thin visible layer of PDZ on the concrete, then fill with sand, up to the top of the 4x4's. Then I will occasionally spread some PDZ over the sand the control the smell. The playground/sandbox sand is too fine; I use the quikrete washed construction grade sand from lowes. You can use PDZ pretty much everywhere, but it's a little expensive to be the only thing you use. If you get PDZ, get the granules, not the powder. The chickens can even eat the PDZ sometimes; it can also act as grit. It won't hurt them.

 

[andreacroyle]

My coop and runs sit on 'frame' of 4x4's, on a 6" concrete slab. I put a thin visible layer of PDZ on the concrete, then fill with sand, up to the top of the 4x4's. Then I will occasionally spread some PDZ over the sand the control the smell. The playground/sandbox sand is too fine; I use the quikrete washed construction grade sand from lowes. You can use PDZ pretty much everywhere, but it's a little expensive to be the only thing you use. If you get PDZ, get the granules, not the powder. The chickens can even eat the PDZ sometimes; it can also act as grit. It won't hurt them.

How do you wash the sand before use in the run? Do you ever wet it down? Does it dry easily?

 

[Bobby Basham]

I checked out the Lowe's website and they offer a washed commercial medium grade sand (around $8.97), and a coarse grade Silica sand for $9.74. These are for 100-LB bags. I'm alittle leery about using the Silica stuff. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

 

[MeepBeep]

How do you wash the sand before use in the run?  Do you ever wet it down? Does it dry easily? 

Take a 5 gallon bucket, fill it about 3/4 full of sand, take a garden hose and ram it into the sand all the way to the bottom of the bucket, turn on hose and let run for maybe 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring the sand until the overflowing water runs clear... All the dust particles should be carried out by the overflowing water, leaving just the sand behind in the bucket...

And if you have a gravel pit in your area get the sand there, you can get several 1000s of pounds for the price of a bag or two at the store... Around me the price if I pick up (and shovel it into the trailer/truck myself aka no tractor loading) at the pit is about $10 a ton for nice sand, as low as $5 a ton for construction fill grade... Some pits even sell washed sand, around me it's about $15 a ton...

 

[3chickchicks]

Initially I found sand at a landscaping company. Then I refresh with playsand from Home Depot. I only have 5 birds so if you have a larger operation, just go to a landscaping company.
I didn't wash the sand before adding it.

 

[birdlady79]

I've been using sand for almost a yr now & LOVE IT!! It's so easy & not messy... I buy mine at Lowes quikrete (sp) All purpose sand & sweet Pdz.... I have two different size scoops. A kitty litter scoop for big stuff & a strainer type scoop for little stuff..... The rain is the only downfall... If it gets wet I scoop out wet dump in yard & add new... Easy Peasy.