What type of sand do you use for a dustbox?

[BethieofVA]

I was curious I have access to "washed" sand which I believe is similar if not the same as those bags of sandbox sand. Is this okay?

 

[MuranoFarms]

You mean for a dustbath? I guess it will all depend what it was washed in. You don't want excess chemicals in there.

 

[BethieofVA]

Washed sand just means it has been cleaned and filter for large particles by using screens and water. It is used in making asphalt. No chemicals.

I do mean for dust bathing.

 

[BethieofVA]

No advice?

 

[chkinut]

i would like to know the answer to this cuz i have a movable run (as well as a run that's attached to their coop which does NOT move). they will be able to take dustbaths in their regular coop run.....but the moveable one won't have dirt in it cuz i'll be moving it to grassy places all the time. so i was gonna get some shallow plastic boxes and fill it with DE and dirt. but i wonder if that's a good thing to fill it with? i mean i know it's good to put DE in the dirt that they take dustbaths in......so the DE isn't what i'm wondering about......i just wonder if there's anything else i should put in there besides DE and dirt? should i put some sand too?

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Im only guessing here but I would say that it is ok because it is a fine sand and they use it to dust bathe in mine just do it in the dirt even though I have a box in the run with DE in it they still liek the dirt

I don't get it so if they liek it they will use it I guess.

 

[Baymen Moe]

Quote:
Fine for dust bathing, my run is 6 inches of washed sand, they just pick their spots to bath in.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

The sand I'm using is what we had delivered to go under the two 1550 gallon tanks for our rain catchment system.

They had used the shoebox of sand to sleep in until last night...there was sand flying everywhere after one finally figured out what it was for!

Tomorrow I have to go out and refill the shoebox...looks like they took lots of dust baths today while I was working in the garden.

 

[MuranoFarms]

Quote:
Sounds fine to me! Add some DE to it and you're set.

(sorry I didn't answer sooner.........I spent all day digging the duck pond!)

 

[Chieftain]

Check my construction thread in my siggy for details, but my 50 square foot run is made of a gravel bed covered with a cubic yard+ of coarse builder's sand, augmented with tubesand from Home Depot. The chooks have a constant source of grit, and there is enough variety in the size of that type sand to take care of all of their grit needs. I started all of my chicks immediately on some corn grits (polenta) with a pinch of sand. They want to peck at the grits, and they get the sand right away. That way if they eat anything other than chick starter rations, they can grind it and digest it instead of getting a sour craw.

Plain builder's sand is perfect.