Buy Now . If you have a waterer in your coop that ever leaks or spills a little bit, you run the risk of ammonia building up and of course, the risk of mold growing. Your sand, or any other type of bedding, should always be dry. Wait, what? Every 1-2 weeks, I use a shovel with holes in it, like this shovel from amazon, to remove the poop on the floor in my large 10x10 coop. Sand likely does not insulate as well as organic bedding if the organic bedding is used in the deep litter method. (3) Not available 18.1kg Vinyl Concrete Patch Not available 22.7kg Quick Set Cement Not available 22.7kg Hydraulic Waterstop Cement Not available 4.5kg Hydraulic Waterstop Cement Not available Polymeric Jointing Sand - 22.7 kg Not available 296mL Red Liquid Cement Colouring Not available This important piece of information comes from the Chicken Chick. 1/2 Yard runs about $25 if you pick up. This means that, if youre not using sand, you may need to change bedding, or add more bedding (if youre doing the deep litter method), fairly frequently to keep the ammonia levels low. 1113) is a specially graded washed sand that has been screened for children's sand boxes. I spray it down good every night and rake every morning. Chicken Coop & Pen Care Shop All. I leave the old sand out for the year and let it get rinsed and dried repeatedly through the year by the elements. Therefore, it is suitable for your coop bedding material. Can I use quikrete all purpose sand for chicken coop? Silica and silicosis explained. Hi all, I have had backyard chickens for almost 6 years and there is always something new to be learned. For more on this, see my review of the scientific literature in The best chicken coop bedding: Sand vs. straw vs. pine shavings. Sand bedding is heavier than other bedding, which means its a bit more of a workout putting it in your coop than other types of bedding. I do hope for a vocabulary change as more and more people make the switch in thinking. Model # 115022 Store SKU # 1000739637 General use sand. Fine-grained play sand or beach sand do not make good bedding as these may cause major health problems for chickens. Perhaps buy a little extra sand to err on the side of caution. This is simply because your coop will have so much less wet poop in it, and because sand is inorganic and not breaking down. Having fewer flies around the coop would be nice. I looked up long tube sand and Home Depot has 60 lbs bags of it by Quikrete. Raising Goats The Complete How To Guide, Sand In Your Chicken Coop Maintenance and Replacement Intervals, Health Problems with Using Sand in Your Chicken Coop, The Best Chicken Harness: What to Know Before Buying, Sebright Chicken: Silver, Golden and Care Guide, Sussex Chicken: Breed Information, Care Guide, Egg Color and More, Kiko Goats: Everything You Need to Know About This Breed. Pica in Goats: Why is My Goat Eating Dirt. Here we will give you reasons for and against and let you decide whether or not this is for you and your flock. November 6, 2022. Sand In Your Chicken Coop-Should You Use It? The solution was easy. Quikrete 865005 Stucco Crack Repair - 5.5 oz. Exactly! I really appreciate your articles. Buy Now . Well, sand in the coop is also wonderful for winter dust bathing. Stay away from play sand. Its a range of different sizes. Next, you need to make sure there are no wide gaps in the floor. It just felt noticeably cooler and the sand was cooler to the touch. Sand, on the other hand, is used by certain individuals as a flooring material. Youll also want to prepare the ground under your coop and run, so that its higher than the area around it. It appears to be working fine. I put wood shavings mixed with DE in the nesting boxes. It may not display this or other websites correctly. And only sand. Find A Store; Energy. The use of sand in poultry houses is not new. We live in a very sandy soil area so our run has excellent drainage. For another example, the Happy Chicken Coop blog says that filling an 8x12 coop to a 6 inch depth would require 2.5 tons of sand. The chickens walk through the sand to get to the nesting boxes, and the poop and mud either come off completely in the sand (and I scoop it out), or it at least dries a lot. No, theyll dust bathe in the coop bedding instead. You are using an out of date browser. Dry sand will often do that, wet sand normally not. This prompted us to look at the positives and negatives of using sand as a bedding material in the coop and run. This means your chickens arent protected from the elements, and your coop needs to be enclosed. Available in: 50 lb. Meets ASTM C 33 specifications. If your chicken eats play sand or any other type of fine-grained that becomes easily compacted, the sand can compact in the crop, not passing on into the digestive system. Im thinking of trying sand, sounds good. The tip of my roosters comb has been blue on and off for close to two weeks and now he and two out of five hens have been sneezing so Im looking to re-floor the run to see if its a respiratory issue. Your chicks are just learning what to eat, and they may eat the bedding, leading to crop impaction and death. I purchased my sand in the early fall and the day the gravel company delivered it, it rained. Quikrete. Blast Sand Medium #4 100lb Mfg.# 10091004 Sku# 8909640. Liquids drain into sand. Chickens broke their legs jumping onto it. Let us know how it works for you in the comments below any problems and solutions. Most folks useconventional bedding materialsin the coop and run. It is only in the coop though. I was researching and came across DE and PDZ. We use the sand that comes in the long sand bags that you use in the winter because it is clean sand. I mentioned above that if some of my chickens dont feel like going outside, they will dust bathe in the bedding. I use trays underneath my chickens roosting bars, so most of my chickens poop ends up on the trays. So why risk it? Printable Info Shop Now **Product production varies by plant. When I first added sand to my coop in the heat of the summer, I was amazed at the huge reduction of flies. Here is a list of the supplies that I use (includes Amazon links): Flamethrower (most people dont use this). Use straw, hay, or something similar to cover the flooring and nest boxes. This was so helpful! Also I read that straw can get ingested and tangled in the crop so to avoid straw with chickens:). And also keep in mind that this sand will last me for years, so in the long run, its much cheaper than buying organic bedding Id have to replace every 2 weeks to a month. And despite the fact that chickens have wonderful dirt outside for dust bathing, when your girls get that itch to dust bathe, some of them dont want to have to go all the way outside. Chicken keepers are unlikely to realize that their play sand is the culprit. I put the sand in my coop today and it is wet from rain. Additionally, in humans, long-term exposure to play sand can cause cancer. When the temp dropped to 35 BELOW we did add some dry straw to the floor for extra comfort since we dont heat our coops. inexpensive Eco-friendly natural grit no risk of crop impaction as with straw and hay easy daily maintenance infrequent deep cleaning required keeps feet clean and nails manicured cleaner feet= cleaner eggs any dropped feed gets eaten, not lost in the litter dust-bath Mecca! The main reason using sand for chicken coops is so controversial is because people are all talking about different types of sandand some sand is terrible to use for chicken coops. Always read your NEWS!!! Beach or sandbox sand stays wet and compacts and freezes. I only have the natural sandy dirt floor in mine & they seem to be doing fine. I cover the plywood coop floor with about 3 inches of sand, scoop the dried poop three times a week and toss in the garden. English All Purpose Saddle Pads Shop All. Its an excellent feature for a prey animal, like chickens, because having their heads down eating, particularly if theyre out in the open, makes them vulnerable to predators. It is more course than play sand. We have already mentioned that sand should not be used in brooders due to the risk of crop impaction. Think about itstraw, pine shavings, pine needles, etc. We have a lot of shavings. Really, the cost can vary quite a bit depending on where you live, so be sure to see your local gravel company for an estimate. The wood shavings were super stinky, grow ALOT (and I do mean a ton) of bacteria, were expensive over time because how often they had to be changed and labor intensive to replace because it had to be completely removed. But this is a coop maintenance problem more than a sand problem. I have looked everywhere for commercial grade sand. The initial setting up of a sand-based coop and/or run is probably the most time-consuming and expensive part of the process not to mention heavy work. Good litter has these characteristics: This is sand! SECTION II - HAZARD IDENTIFICATION Hazard-determining . Composition and Materials: QUIKRETE Commercial grade sand is high quality silica sand. And when I used pine shavings or straw bedding, I just felt awful my chickens were living in their own filth, which isnt a natural way for them to live. The type of sand I wanted was actually labeled as way less than 0.5 millimeters, but it seemed to me like most of the grains were way coarser than what was labeled. For more on using straw, see my article, Straw for chicken coop bedding: Pros, cons, and how to do it right. Each year or so, I take the sand out of the coop and put new sand inthis is why I recommend buying twice as much sand as you need to fill your coop. Additionally, if you dont have an extra pile of sand to swap ini.e., you only have enough sand to fill your coop and no extrathen I definitely recommend the flamethrower step. DRY and controllable DRAFT. I also live in a place that has extremely clay-rich soil, which means the mud in the winter and spring is horrendous. If you are using electricity in your coop, theres always a chance of fire. Does sand make good chicken coop bedding? You can alternate sand each year. Quikrete all purpose sand This is a type of sand that is washed and used as an underlayment for flagstones and brick pavers. For more information on the coop design topics discussed here, see my articles: 8 chicken coop floor options: The best flooring materials for your coop. prayer warriors (following Jesus Christ, everyone welcome), Family Life - Stories, Pictures & Updates, GQF Incubator turns off for about ten minutes then comes back on. 60-Pound All-Purpose Sand Mfg.# 115260 Sku# 1920545. Coop De Chickenville~My Favorite Chickens and Life, Current Social Media Chicken Feed Craze - posted testing results. not enough? This stuff looks like what you would see on a riverbed. The outside run is covered because it rains here alot. I live in Australia . Chicks need to be exposed to outdoor pathogens slowly, so their immune systems can build up. Sand may be used in the run. They had no idea what I was talking about. Also, what sand would be the best to use? It's perfect for what they need for dust bathing and grit. My chickens are free range, but they dont like to venture out into the cold weather as much. But before I put the already used sand back in, I use a flamethrower on the sand, just to make sure any bacteria or germs are completely dead. . Wait, you might be thinking, havent you been saying this whole time that sand has fewer pathogens? We use two bug zappers just outside the coops and the flies die and fall, making fun crispy snacks for the girls in the morning. Youll need to look at gravel companies to source your sand. There are plenty of anecdotes where people say they use play sand and it works great. Sand solves the problem of a poopy coop. When a chicken eats something, it sits in her crop before going through the digestive process. This means that the grains can compact easilythere is a lot less pore space, and when the grains get wet, they are very cohesive. If youre going to try the grass route, make them a salad box. I have a 6 x 3 box made from 2x4s and 1 hardware cloth over top. Should you Use Sand in Your Coop?Reasons against Sand for Your Chicken Coop or RunReasons to Use Sand in Your Chicken Coop and RunHow to Set Up Sand in Your CoopWhich Type of Sand Should You Use?Sand In Your Chicken Coop Maintenance and Replacement IntervalsHealth Problems with Using Sand in Your Chicken CoopSand In Your Chicken Coop Summary. As an added bonus, its really fun! Chooks can use it as grit. Others have recommended 6 inches in depth. bags 70 lb. I cant move the coop so trying to keep my 4 girls happy. let CurrentYear = new Date().getFullYear() They say there is little to no odor, flies are minimal, and it is very little to compost! Sand in the coop is also great for summer dust bathing because, despite the hot weather outside, the coop sand is relatively cool. Below are suggestions on when and why to use sand for gardening: You may want to consider putting gravel in as well to help with drainage. Because play sands are made through crushing quartz grains into very fine-grained pieces, this type of sand clumps together a lot. Depending on where you live, sand may be low cost in the short run as well. Forested and richly-vegetated areas are no strangers to rivers and creeks, and, therefore, to sand. The delivery cost me $90. Most of the sand you buy from big box stores is going to be too fine-grained. bag 50 lb. For more information on silicosis and chickens, see my article, Will sand bedding kill your chickens? As always, do your research ahead of time. All my girls and boys are happy and healthy, I will always use and recommend the right sand. I used sand in my coop before my girls were old enough to safely free range all day. Chicken breedsCoops and runsChicken careChicken behavior, BlogTerms and conditionsPrivacy policyContact me, Mama hen's guide to raising spoiled-rotten chicks. Is construction sand the same as paver sand? Is this a good plan? I will point out that sand is not so great when it is soaking wet, I would not recommend it for runs exposed to rain and use it in dry areas only. Sand has little in the way of insulating properties, unlike hay, straw, etc. My chickens dont like rain! You want your sand to be as coarse as possible, while still being fine enough that most of it will sift through your kitty litter scooper. Certainly chickens in the wild dont live this way. In the little coop, with the bantams and large cochins, we have a layer of sand and then 6 inches of straw. This option is expensive, but the benefits will be better ground to walk on and fewer mosquitoes! For anywhere from $10-$20 you can get an entire truckload of sand from a quarry. Another person mentioned the possibility of sand fleas. Chopped straw can be purchased at your local farm care store. I guessed the grain size was around 0.5 mm long and up. We throw all our grass clippings, leaves, and the straw from the coops in the run. Jointing Sand Hardscape 50lb Mfg.# 117556 Sku# 8907362. If you still feel uncertain about what to order, print off this picture and take it to your local gravel company. Im not worried about the pathogens harming my adult chickenstheyve already been exposed to these same pathogens while free rangingbut I dont know if the pathogen level is high enough to harm newly hatched chicks. And, if your chickens sense danger at any time, they can stay hidden for quite a while without eating as long as their crops are full. They should not have been exposed to wild birds or other animals. I have been using river sand in my coop and run. I am not worried about the run i just want a nice place for them in the coop. I have never amended the sand with other products. Quikrete is all-purpose sand and is more course than play sand. You can find data on how to do it on line. Table of Contents That could be heavy, and your floor could break down. All-purpose Price: $1 - $5 Bag Weight (lbs. Provides insulation on the floor of coop. Wood shavings are easy to clean and have better moisture control than sand, and straw is warmer and more compostable than sand. I wouldnt want it much shallower than that in a large coop. Silicosis is a painful and basically downright awful lung disease caused by breathing in small silica (quartz) particles that cause scarring in the lungs. The chicken poop clumps up in the sand making scooping super easy, fast, and its true there is WAY less compost to deal with. Have had it for 3 yrs. The ammonia in my coop got to a high level because certain types of bacteria flourish on damp bedding and release ammonia. I visited the gravel company to see what they had available. Although the sand is said to provide better drainage, it wont if you dont prepare the area well. The price cant be beat either, 1 yard of beach play sand costs $34 dollars and is enough to cover my 88 coop all year, plus fill a 66 sandbox for kiddos in the summer. However, your chickens will do best with sand if the run is covered. Im hoping to see Eggs in September. For more on cost, see my section below, How much does sand bedding for your chicken coop cost? They will tear up the sod in 2 days max. Their access to dust baths outside is also limited in the winter. For the same reasons, sand coops have markedly fewer flies. Therefore, it is suitable for your coop bedding material. If you do not put erosion protection your sand will go through the gravel base absolutely, but you need a thicker layer of sand or your chickens will tear the fabric out as well. While actual sand fleas are not insects and will not bite humans, sand flies will bite humans and chickens and may live on the sandy floor if the climate is suitable. Pavers to stop the air flow and 6 sand is great, if you can mix with DE here and there for their dust bathing and mite control even better. Next up, silica sand! None of them have all of these qualities. It will depend on where you live, how readily available it is, and how far it has to be delivered (if you need it delivered). For example, play sand (see my section on play sand above) isnt good for coops, and neither is any sand that has been exposed to high bacteria levels, such as from areas of standing water. I have similar wet conditions and it can get frustrating. But there are also plenty of anecdotes where play sand has caused major problems. People get used to it, which is why you dont hear many people talking about this, but when you first get started with chickens, you really have the yuck factor when it comes to the bedding. Obviously, sand wont work for this because its inorganic. We have a creek and a river on our propertyis that sand good to use? So there my chickens were, covering themselves in poopy, decomposing pine bedding, looking so innocent and gross. This is the first year we havent had even one chicken with respiratory issues. on top of the pavers i was thinking 6 of sand. Just for the sake of being totally accurate heresand is actually terrible at absorbing moisture, but it releases moisture so well that it just doesnt matter. feel free share . The chickens looked much less miserable in the coop. Would this work? Here I discuss all the nitty gritty details of my experience with and research on chicken coop sand, including: Can you use play sand in your chicken coop? Adolf. I love it! That sounds hyperbolic, but really Im just being blunt. If it doesnt, I will just add some soil and grass seed and wait for the following spring. However, many gravel companies dont have a special name for the sand. Admittedly, it would seem that cleanliness is a huge bonus to the chicken keeper. and we now have fabulous night crawlers too. English Close Contact Saddle Pads Shop All. You dont get the smells with sand that you do with straw, pine shavings, and the like, because the sand isnt breaking down. All Purpose Dried Sand - 60 lb Model Number: 1891090 Menards SKU: 1891090 Final Price $ 5 95 each You Save $0.74 with Mail-In Rebate Screened, washed and dried Mix with Cement to make concrete Can be used on driveways, walkways and steps for added traction Provides extra vehicle weight to improve traction in winter Dried-will not freeze I described how gross this is with moister types of bedding that break down, like pine shavings, and how sand makes a world of difference. Sand bedding is low cost in the long run because you dont have to keep buying new sand. Does your chicken coop need to be off the ground? By the way, we use hay in our coop and the girls love scratching around in it! Yes. When the entire area around the coop and run is always wet and muddy, it might be best to consider laying down some drainage tiles first. An important point here is that even if you have another type of bedding, like pine shavings or straw, if the bedding is getting wet, your chickens are going to really suffer. I used play box sand for my chicks because it was safe for children.