For more information on silicosis and chickens, see my article, Will sand bedding kill your chickens? bag 50 lb. Sand in the coop is an excellent source and is readily available in the winter months when outside access to grit is limited. I do this until the sand is almost gone, then replenish (about twice a year). I had to stop by and look at all their piles of different sands. The first time I felt a chickens full crop was unnerving. Because play sands are made through crushing quartz grains into very fine-grained pieces, this type of sand clumps together a lot. But there are also plenty of anecdotes where play sand has caused major problems. 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. It is a coarse sand that has been cleaned and is suitable for use as an underlayment for brick pavers and flagstones. 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. I started my coops with pine shavings, hoping to use the deep litter method to keep my chickens warmer over the winter. As chronicled in the academic book, Poultry Behaviour and Welfare, by Appleby et al., domestic chickens descended primarily from the Red Junglefowl, a tropical species of bird that lives mostly in forested areas and areas of thick vegetation. It contains multiple sizes of particles, including small pebbles, etc. The bantams do fine too. Ive also seen people complain that sand is too hot in the summer, but thats only true if you have a wide-open coop thats not protected from the elements. The delivery cost me $90. Product Type :Tools Package Dimensions :13.5" L X3.5" W X21.0" H Country Of Origin :United States Package Weight :49.9Lbs See more product details Customers also search What's in the box GO BACK; Energy; Propane. Use for underlayment for brick pavers and traction on snow and ice. These sands may have high levels of bacteria, Coccidiosis, or who knows what else, that you dont want your chickens around. In a worst-case scenario, this could cause your sand to freeze. Certainly chickens in the wild dont live this way. For more information on how to find this sand, where to buy it, and how much it costs, see the section below, Where do you find sand for chicken coops? With the deep bedding method, your bedding releases a little bit of heat as it decomposes. I also dont understand why play box sand is not suitable for chickens yet it is perfectly safe for human chicks!! I have been using sand in my coop since we started having chickens, we got as chicks. Claire, After reading all the pros and cons, decided to give sand a Go and it has been life changing! For a summary of the latest research on this, see my article, Pine shavings in the coop: The secret chicken killer? Two things to remember Christine. We have a lot of shavings. For those of you who are new to chickens, chickens have a crop located above their chest near the bottom of their neck. It stays drier than all other types of bedding. Ive read about a couple people who have said that their sand froze in the winter and it was so hard that when their chickens jumped off the roosts, some broke their legs. I put wood shavings mixed with DE in the nesting boxes. All-purpose Price: $1 - $5 Bag Weight (lbs. (Vancouver). English All Purpose Saddle Pads Shop All. Youll potentially have ammonia problems, mold, bacteria, and lots of frostbite in the winter months. Chickens dont bedthey roost, preferably on wood of some kind. 56 2800 lb. This stuff is great for the birds' grit intake. would this be too much? This product is fantastic for increasing the grit intake of chickens. I ended up using this and mixing it with some dirt. I live in Iowa, to Long tubes of sand here are the ones that are used for putting in your car or the back of your truck to give more traction during the winter months in the snow driving. Let us know how it works for you in the comments below any problems and solutions. We will be getting our pullets soon. Theres not much in between. I dont recommend using sand bedding in coops if they dont have floors. Ive found that sand by far exceeds the other types of bedding when it comes to whats best for my chickens. Your email address will not be published. (we live in the 4 corners area) My question is this. Once the hard work of laying the sand is done, maintenance is pretty standard. And, once again, the research also backs this upsand bedding keeps a coop cooler. It may be true that sand dissipates most of the poop produced, but the cecal poops will trickle down into the lower layers. Obviously gravel companies measure sand in different waysthe company I used measured the sand in cubic yards, whereas the estimate referenced by the Happy Chicken Coop measured the sand in tons. It is so easy to clean. I have 24 birds and I dont have to scoop daily. Therefore, it is suitable for your coop bedding material. I also was not aware, until recently, that pine shavings are toxic for chickens - more information on that in my article, Pine shavings in the coop: The secret chicken killer? If you are thinking about adding sand to your coop out of curiosity, perhaps try putting it in a section of the coop and leaving the rest as your current bedding. There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings when it comes to different flooring, but I dont want to use wood chips on the floor because its very wet in SC (a lot of rain plus constant humidity) and the whole pen continues to get very muddy. Here is a list of the supplies that I use (includes Amazon links): Flamethrower (most people dont use this). QUIKRETE Commercial grade sands are narrowly graded clean dry silica sands. What does this mean? 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. If not, the sand could all fall out. 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. I live in south Florida, all Ive got is sandy soil in my run. Can I use potting soil for chicken dust bath? It was absolutely disgusting. Because newly hatched chicks have not had exposure to outside pathogens yet, too much exposure too early can cause them to get sick and die. I have heard a french drainage system works well too. I have looked everywhere for commercial grade sand. This doesnt mean that your coop cant still catch on fire, but the chances are much lower with sand compared with anything else. Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread. I will NEVER expose any of my chickens to pine shavings again. I walked into the coop one morning and the smell of ammonia was overpowering. Not everybody does this step, but it gives me peace of mind. Unlike many other forms of bedding, like pine shavings, sand is a material that chickens in the wild are likely to see and live on. If you know youre not going to be motivated to scoop out the poop daily or at least once every few weeks, your sand will eventually need to be replaced with brand new sand. Hi all, As an added bonus, its really fun! bags Use For: Underlayment for Brick Pavers Mixing with portland cement and gravel to make concrete Traction on Snow and Ice Mixing with potting soil Data Sheet Safety Data Sheet 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. They should also have less exposure to parasites, like worms. It's perfect for what they need for dust I actually use this sand for my chicken coop and run. All-Purpose Sand 100318450 115251 137263 50 lb. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock. Model # 115022 Store SKU # 1000739637 General use sand. I scrape the poop into a plastic tote. Most folks do a daily poop scoop and are done. Gravel companies have referred to this type of sand as river bank sand, mortar sand, and concrete sand. Think about itstraw, pine shavings, pine needles, etc. Its a nasty way to go. Id like a sand that they can easily dust themselves in, but I know not to get too fine of sand. What chickens need is litter. It would seem that the use of sand didnt catch on for whatever reason. 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. At worst, the chickens will get sick or even die. For the new chicken owner, let me just say something else. Chicken Feed. You may want to consider putting gravel in as well to help with drainage. My friend told me that its not good to use cedar shavings in the coop because it has too much oil in them. . Check out the video below to see just how fast a fire can start in your coop if you use organic bedding, like pine shavings, and a heat lampspoiler: within 45 seconds. Contents [ hide] Sand that is considered unacceptable for coops and runs is playing sand and sandbox sand. Adolf. Remember, they say that to fill an 8x12 coop with sand to a 6 inch depth, youd need about 2.5 tons of sand. This was suggested by the hatchery that my chickens are coming from. Still shavings in nesting boxes and one enclosed nighttime coop but sand otherwise. Sand, on the other hand, is used by certain individuals as a flooring material. You dont get the smells with sand that you do with straw, pine shavings, and the like, because the sand isnt breaking down. For example, an area of 8ft x 12ft covered to a depth of 6 inches would require approximately 2 tons of river sand. I have no idea if this is the case, but its a concern. I noticed a big difference in my coops summer temperature when I put sand inside. Do not use play sand in your coop as its very dangerous for your chickens. and we now have fabulous night crawlers too. You can find data on how to do it on line. Chicken Feeders. I use cat litter scoops duck taped to a pole and clean up is a breeze. Quikrete 865005 Stucco Crack Repair - 5.5 oz. This is because the sand is blocking the passageway out of the crop. Specifications Dimensions Assembled Depth (in inches) 17 Assembled Height (in inches) 5 Assembled Weight (in lbs) 44 Assembled Width (in inches) 13 Yes. I am not worried about the run i just want a nice place for them in the coop. Because a sandy coop is such a cleaner coop, especially if youre scooping out poop daily or at least weekly, sand bedding contains lower bacteria counts.Chickens in a sand coop should have less exposure to other pathogens, like Coccidiosis. I had to wait for the sand to dry out. I have a question as far as bedding for the coop. I am considering laying down pebbles then layering course sand over it. This is a technical term that means it should be free of most larger particles. Hydraulics. You remove much of the poop through scooping, and the poop thats still left in the coop is dried out. Cuts down on odor. 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