Using sand in run AND in coop?

[Tonkasmum]

I started out with a grass coop. Not that it lasted long. Then it became MUD. And smelled. So I went ahead and put a concrete floor down, then sand. I rake it, then mix in DE and Sweet PDZ. NO odors, no problems!! LOVE it.

First incarnation. Repurposed rabbit hutch for a nesting box.
Sandbox below for dust baths.There is a door on the outside
allowing access to the hutch.


Yeah, nice at first, but it turned to mud fast once the grass was gone.



Trim is old boards torn off my utility trailer and repainted (will be painting a design on them)
Waterer is now a nipple waterer, feeder is a hopper on the left.
Both may be filled from the outside.


And... complete with Treat door. I can toss in whatever I want now
without having to open the main door and risk the feathery stampede.
Eventually this summer, I will run an electric line out.

​

 

[Bens-Hens]

My husband thinks sand will be too heavy on the floor of the coop. Our coop is elevated and has a pull-out tray. I think with sand, the need to pull out the tray would be nil. Seems like it would work great to me. Our coop is only 4x3 so I can't imagine it would be very heavy. Thoughts?

Our is raised up as well. I made the floor to take the weight of sand. In saying that, it's not too heavy, our area took just over one bag, which was 20kg. We don't have a slide, I just lean in the big window or open the big doors and walk in. Our coop is 2400mmx1200mm (4'x8'ish), but the floor space is maybe just over half of that as we have a ladder and open section.

Bens-Hens...I really like your milk jug scoop...I'm gonna make me one! TY

No worries, I got the idea from here so go for it! We go through lots of milk, so we always have scoops handy. I use them for feed, brooder bedding, poop.

 

[onebusymom]

LOVE the milk just scooper! I've looked for PDZ around here (PNW - about an hour south of Seattle) and can't seem to find any - where do you all get it?

 

[mommyoftwo]

I saw some at the feed store, in the area where pine shaving, hay and straw. If not look near horse stuff. It for them original.

 

[mandelyn]

Should be near horse supply or bedding. Sure is handy to have, hope you find some!

Sand in the coop is way better than sand in the run. We stopped the sand in the run because of all the rain we get, it started stinking no matter how frequently I cleaned it or what I sprinkled on it. So that's a mix of gravel and pine shavings. Sand in the coop has made cleaning up after them really easy.

 

[scottschickens]

do you have to wet it with spraybottel or just leave it dry

 

[Tonkasmum]

I just leave mine dry. If it's supposed to be really hot out, I'll soak it down good so there's shade an moist sand to cool off with.

 

[bjw18612]

I recently changed to "sharp" sand (builders coarse sand) inside the coop. Have it in the pen area over pea gravel. Also, have a sand box out there for dusting. Use DE and PDZ in all areas and I can't say enough about how easy it is to do a quick cleanup after 6 birds. No smell. I made a scoop from a utensil I found at WalMart and my hubby shoved it into a 3/4" plastic conduit about 4 feet long. My clean up inside the coop takes 1 minute each morning as the majority is in the sand directly under the roost. I used 2 large dog crate trays to contain the sand. Love it!!! See details below (my nest boxes are still closed off as the girls are only 10 wks old).

 

[bjw18612]

You only need a 1/2 - 1" inside the coop and it's spread over a large area so weight shouldn't be an issue unless you have a very flimsy floor. Mines 24" off the ground and no problems. I contain my sand in large dog crate pans. Simple, Clean, Fast!

 

[TwoCrows]

I not only use it in the run and coop but in the nest boxes as well! I started doing this because I have a girl that has egg laying issues and lays eggs with thin shells. Every time she laid and egg and it dropped on another egg, hers cracked. And not wanting to start any egg eating issues, I needed a new material for the nest boxes. I had just starting using sand in the coop and run and thought, what the heck! And it has worked! Not on single cracked egg problem. The eggs just plop out and lay right were they fall. And the girls have absolutely no problems with sand being in their boxes...