The leaky waterer resulted in a high amount of ammonia being produced very quickly. Also for making concrete. Gravel companies have referred to this type of sand as river bank sand, mortar sand, and concrete sand. We are just changing over to sand. I spray it down good every night and rake every morning. 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. Also, the chickens will use the sand for dust bathing which has been very effective in keeping parasites away and I dont find the play beach sand too dusty until it gets covered in bird dander. If your run area is a muddy mess in the winter and spring, you might consider laying down 3-4 inches of gravel under the sand. Medium- to coarse-grained sand makes excellent chicken coop bedding in coops that do not have drainage problems and do not get wet inside. A regular, enclosed coop wont have that exposure to the sun inside and will actually be much cooler. It appears to be working fine. I used sand in my coop before my girls were old enough to safely free range all day. Stay away from play sand. Specifications Dimensions Assembled Depth (in inches) 17 Assembled Height (in inches) 5 Assembled Weight (in lbs) 44 Assembled Width (in inches) 13 Its unfortunate that we all call our litter bedding because this is how weve completely missed the point. The following sections detail all these fantastic features of sand bedding. So there my chickens were, covering themselves in poopy, decomposing pine bedding, looking so innocent and gross. This material resembles what you might find on a riverbank; it includes various particle size distributions, including tiny pebbles. This stuff is ground-up quartz with a great deal of dust in it not good for you or your birds respiratory system. I clean my coop once a day and put in new sand twice a year. Clearly, it was time to do something. Well, sand in the coop is also wonderful for winter dust bathing. You dont want to scoop out the poopbecause sand bedding doesnt decompose with the poop, you dont want to just put sand in your coop and leave it there untouched forever. This is simply because your coop will have so much less wet poop in it, and because sand is inorganic and not breaking down. Youll also want to prepare the ground under your coop and run, so that its higher than the area around it. I have been using sand in my coop since we started having chickens, we got as chicks. Exactly! I suspect this amount of heat is greater than the heat retained through the insulating benefit of sand. Bring a kitty litter scooper with you. This 2-hour course is divided into eleven easy-to-follow video lessons you can watch as your schedule permits. Meets ASTM C 33 specifications Product Features: Washed, dried and sanitized Use for sandbox, garden, litter box, traction and weight sand Great as base mate . Your sand, or any other type of bedding, should always be dry. This is the first year we havent had even one chicken with respiratory issues. 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. Its a nasty way to go. It contains multiple sizes of particles, including small pebbles, etc. I was researching and came across DE and PDZ. Therefore, it is suitable for your coop bedding material. My coop never smells like chicken poop, my chickens feet and eggs are cleaner. This doesnt mean that your coop cant still catch on fire, but the chances are much lower with sand compared with anything else. I have a coop and enclosed run. Admittedly, it would seem that cleanliness is a huge bonus to the chicken keeper. Nope, she had just filled her crop full for bedtime. Coop De Chickenville~My Favorite Chickens and Life, Current Social Media Chicken Feed Craze - posted testing results. Quikrete. 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. Quikrete 865005 Stucco Crack Repair - 5.5 oz. No more ant & flies, no more stinky mess & a cleanup job in 5-7 minutes daily. Here it is: Chickens dont actually need beddingwhat they need is litter. My Store 19938 My Coupons (0) Contact; Create Account; Login; Search. And you dont have to have a leaky waterer in your coop for bedding to get dampwatery chicken poops can have the same effect. By the way, we use hay in our coop and the girls love scratching around in it! At the time few people paid attention because traditionally chickens have always been a farm animal and as such were mostly found in barns and areas where hay was kept. Believe it or not, Amazon sells bagged straw for coops as well! The ammonia in my coop got to a high level because certain types of bacteria flourish on damp bedding and release ammonia. I use DE in the sand for dust bathing. Im hoping to see Eggs in September. The chickens love turning everything over. Quikrete. Im in the Mojave desert too. If you decide to use sand, as always, do your homework and choose the correct item(s) for the project you have in mind. The gravel company dumped my sand right next to my coop for me. All-purpose sand is considered ok. The best sand is construction, bank run, or river sand. As an added bonus, its really fun! Medium- to coarse-grained sands and very fine-grained gravels are safe for chicken coops. For more information on silicosis and chickens, see my article, Will sand bedding kill your chickens? I have been worried about them in the 114 heat day after day, so Ive been putting a couple of frozen milk jugs of water in there. Most large poultry houses and the majority of backyard folks use some other substrate such as; hay, straw, shavings, mulch, and leaf litter. This is because sand has great insulating qualities. My chickens dont like to leave the coop as much in the bad winter weather, and dust bathing in the sand bedding not only keeps them healthier but gives them something to do. Your sand dries the poop quickly and releases the moisture quickly, unlike organic bedding. Another issue is that fresh poop would adhere to the sand. You can alternate sand each year. All-purpose Price: $1 - $5 Bag Weight (lbs. The pictures below show just exactly what medium- to coarse-grained sand looks like. Silicosis is a painful and basically downright awful lung disease caused by breathing in small silica (quartz) particles that cause scarring in the lungs. I use about 10 bags of sand and all the old goes in my garden. Should I lay landscaping fabric to keep the sand from washing in the ares exposed to rain? It also can be hazardous to humans over the long term. This is because the sand is blocking the passageway out of the crop. So much easier to clean the chunks out, even the frozen urine only goes so far down and works like clumping cat litter. Buy Now . Its probably easiest to just to let your gravel company know how big your coop is and how deep you want it filled, and then ask them for a quote. Your friends chickens may not ever eat enough play sand for crop impaction, or perhaps the play sand they are eating is passing through their crops just fine. 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. All-purpose sand is considered 'ok.' The best sand is construction, bank run, or river sand. Quikrete All-Purpose Sand is a washed, properly graded coarse sand with multi-purpose uses. When I made the choice to try sand, I called up my local gravel company and gave them the sand names I had read about from others online: construction sand, river sand, and bank sand. I am so grateful someone put me on to bug zappers! Youll potentially have ammonia problems, mold, bacteria, and lots of frostbite in the winter months. I disagree that the sand harbors more bacteria than other types of litter because it makes cleanup so easy and sand desicates bugs. Im not sure how they would feel about sand and pebblesI did ask them, and they were non-committal. If your current run is muddy in the wet seasons, Im sure this would help keep their feet cleaner and keep the nests and eggs much cleaner. In my smaller coops, I use just a regular kitty litter scooper every day. Youll need to look at gravel companies to source your sand. I use construction grade sand. One last thingif youre new to chickens, regardless of which bedding you choose, youll want to cover the bedding completely with paper towels for the first few days or even a week. Have small coop. My neighbor still uses wood shavings and still has frequent outbreaks of coccidiosis, lice and mites. The last thing you want is sun shining on your sand and heating up the surroundings. My coop flooring is dirt, in a soggy/boggy type area with lots of ventilation provided by the chicken wire used for the surrounding wall + the roof is completely covered with a heavy duty tarp to keep the rain from getting in. The chooks can eat the grass and other planted goodies that poke through the hardware cloth without scratching up the roots. Its a one-time deal. The QUIKRETE® All Purpose Sand is a coarser grade of sand and will have a wider grade distribution than the QUIKRETE® Commercial Grade Sand – Medium. I visited the gravel company to see what they had available. Quikrete 50 lb. Claire. This may cause long-term respiratory problems in your chickens, who are very sensitive to poor air quality. Next up, silica sand! Can I use potting soil for chicken dust bath? QUIKRETE Play Sand has no other ingredients added to it, so it presents no more danger than sand obtained from a beach or a river. This shovel has holes in it and acts like a giant kitty litter scooper. Remember, you need to place 4 to 6 inches of sand in your coop. Chicken Toys Shop All. Have the gravel down. They are constantly muddy and like most chickens they adore dust bathing. Cheers! You may love itor you may hate it. The chickens looked much less miserable in the coop. I do use PDZ as well as Diatomaceous Earth. Chopped straw can be purchased at your local farm care store. Not the normal purpose but I would recommend. Model # 115022 Store SKU # 1000739637 General use sand. Think: newborn calves and lambs that live in barns and sleep on straw bedding. It's perfect for what they need for dust bathing and grit. BOM UNIT SIZE UNIT WEIGHT PACK QUANTITY PACK WEIGHT PACK TYPE 105521 50 lb. Sand also helps with odors by drying out the poop relatively quickly. Looking to get our first chicks in a couple of weeks. There seem to be two camps in the sand issue either for or against, with few people taking the middle road of compromise. And a word of cautioneven if you find sand with the names above, make sure you look at the sand before purchase. The girls love to take dust baths. 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. Construction sand has been a life saver. feel free share . A common use is pea gravel. So why risk it? The yearly cleaning can be very labor intensive (more on this below). Chicken Feed. Your coop doesnt have a flooryour sand bedding may get wet if moisture is constantly coming up from the ground. But can I compost the poop even with the sand and small pebbles stuck to it? It also comes pre-washed, making it a safer choice. Wait, what? Most of the sand you buy from big box stores is going to be too fine-grained. I dont know what has pooped in it. . All Purpose Sand (Quikrete) All-purpose sand is ideal as it has the right texture and size. We have already mentioned that sand should not be used in brooders due to the risk of crop impaction. You cant keep your coop dryas I mentioned above, some people said they had sand in their coop that somehow got wet and then froze in the cold weather. You can see its a mix of coarser- and finer- grained particles. All-Purpose Sand 100318450 115251 137263 50 lb. Never had a problem with ingesting it. Chickens broke their legs jumping onto it. Printable Info Shop Now **Product production varies by plant. Hey everyone! Remember, they say that to fill an 8x12 coop with sand to a 6 inch depth, youd need about 2.5 tons of sand. Does sand make good chicken coop bedding? Your chicks are just learning what to eat, and they may eat the bedding, leading to crop impaction and death. DRY and controllable DRAFT. It may save you money in the long run. They should not have been exposed to wild birds or other animals. These sands may have high levels of bacteria, Coccidiosis, or who knows what else, that you dont want your chickens around. Is my friend right? Chicken breedsCoops and runsChicken careChicken behavior, BlogTerms and conditionsPrivacy policyContact me, Mama hen's guide to raising spoiled-rotten chicks. If you have a small coop, you may be able to get away with 2-3 inches, but youll need to make sure you spend a couple minutes each day scooping the poop out. Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread. Does anyone know if this is a good idea? The pine shavings bedding on top was completely dry but some of the bedding near the floor was getting soaked. I have only used pine shavings in the brooder (which is a terrible ideasee below). let CurrentYear = new Date().getFullYear() However, many gravel companies dont have a special name for the sand. I do live in the country though, and this gravel company is a lot more expensive than what youd find in a more populated area. One more thing hereif your coop doesnt have a floor, you may have problems with moisture coming up from the bare ground into your sand. Therefore, it is suitable for your coop bedding material. And if your coop is in an area with extremely poor drainage and prone to flooding, make sure to buy or build one that is elevated up on legs, like one of my coops pictured below: A chicken coop elevated on legs is a good model for areas with poor drainage. 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. (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 May be used as underlay for brick pavers. QUIKRETE Premium Play Sand (No. Please contact your salesperson for product availability in your location** Printable Info Visited the gravel company dumped my sand right next to my coop once a day and put new... 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