Why I LOVE sand in my brooder!

[flossyandprissy]

Im a lil worried about that but im mostly worried about univited guests in the coop who could just slither in during the day (im free rangin during the day)

Good luck! We cant free range due to owls and hawks.

 

[nazredhens]

I followed some advice for using sand in the brooder and it was a disaster! I "sifted" daily and put it in when they were a week old. Last night I spent 3 hours giving each one of my 32 quail chicks "pedicures" do to having massive cement poo balls stuck to their feet. Many of them had their toes bleeding before I even soaked them. I may lose one chick because it's toe is black and infected. I will never use sand again! Back to shavings for me!

 

[flossyandprissy]

I followed some advice for using sand in the brooder and it was a disaster! I "sifted" daily and put it in when they were a week old. Last night I spent 3 hours giving each one of my 32 quail chicks "pedicures" do to having massive cement poo balls stuck to their feet. Many of them had their toes bleeding before I even soaked them. I may lose one chick because it's toe is black and infected. I will never use sand again! Back to shavings for me!

Wow! Ive had sand in my brooder.from week one and have never had that problem and I dont scoop daily. Maybe you have too many chicks in one brooder for sand? Maybe since there are so many chicks one scoop a day isnt enough? I sure hope your little one makes it!!

 

[Dragons4u]

I have a question about silica free sand, as in, sand is normally crushed quartz isn't it? Which means it is silicon dioxide, and technically, never silica free. Or do they make "sand" from something else?

 

[Dragons4u]

Nm, I just looked it up. Sand is used more as a term of particle size and not a composition.

 

[flossyandprissy]

I have a question about silica free sand, as in, sand is normally crushed quartz isn't it? Which means it is silicon dioxide, and technically, never silica free. Or do they make "sand" from something else?

The bagged sand I buy at home depot says silica free. Thats all I know. Good luck!

 

[bobcatdan]

That is something my family will look into. We are planning to get our 4 babies next Wednesday and I would like to get prepared with no last minute shopping. I will update status soon

 

[RenaG]

Our babies are a week old today. We are currently using the shavings since that is what we brought them home with. I think I may look into using the sand in the coop and run when we move them outside.

 

[flossyandprissy]

Our babies are a week old today. We are currently using the shavings since that is what we brought them home with. I think I may look into using the sand in the coop and run when we move them outside.

Check out the-chicken-chick dot com. Thats where I got the idea. Or maybe its dot blogspot dot com.

 

[nazredhens]

I have to say that The Chicken Chick has a whole article on soaking chicks toes to get cemented manure balls off of chicks feet so they won't be injured and she is a big advocate of sand in the brooder and in runs. After my debacle with my quail chicks you can read about in a previous post in this thread. I took the sand out of the same brooder with the same amount of chicks and put shavings in and have had no problems, none. My chick with the gangrenous toe due to manure balls is still alive but I'm hoping it will just fall off and not spread higher on the foot. Maybe sand is better for poultry in the run when they are fully grown, IDK, but what I do know is I would never put my flock at that kind of risk again.