So sand is good for chickens....or not???

[cluckcluckluke]

I am getting quite confused, is sand good for chickens or not, or is there no definite answer?


This link informs and gives strong points across that is really NOT good for chickens at any age or in any place in the chicken run, coop etc.
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/07/the-real-scoop-on-using-sand-in-your.html
If you don't have time to read it all it says in summary, sand is a bad choice for your chickens' environment for many reasons, which include:

• harbors E.coli
• allows coccidiosis to run rampant or in some cases eradicates it completely (both extremes are harmful)
• dust can lead to respiratory/breathing problems
• can lead to impacted crops
• real possibility of 'breaded' feces being eaten by your flock
• hot in the summer
• no insulating factors in the winter
• not 'green', i.e. not compostable

Now that is the only source I have come across that is totally against sand and has evidence to back it.



On the other hand (and sorry but I don't have any evidence as I haven't researched, but that is what this thread is all about.lol.) I have heard that sand is the absolute best. Easy to clean, easy to rake, cleaner than other bedding material, able to compost, keeps the coop both cool and warm etc.

At the moment I have got a thin layer of sand as flooring for my roost sheds. The chickens only sleep in there. The rest of the time they are out in the garden or large run and my Yokohama pen has got sand for their outside run to keep their tails clean.
Also, my Yokohama has just come down with a respiratory problem right after I cleaned out his coop and that link above does explain that chickens, especially young ones, are more susceptible to respiratory problems from sand.

So, is in fact sand perfectly fine to be in a chickens environment or not???

 

[ivan3]

Never used sand of any grain diameter in a brooder so won't comment beyond observing that the `sand' in blog post lacks some pertinent info., e.g., grain size, composition, color all of which can influence outcomes listed in link article - fine white, nearly pure grains of silicon dioxide, or tan/brown large grain cryptocrystalline quartz? We've used (and continue to add) sand as the base in both the chicken coop and turkey shed & runs for nine years. Coop & shed floors were covered with congoleum remnants from a carpet store. We first placed down only straw and wood chips over this somewhat slippery material. The turkeys would fly down from their roost, hit the straw and wood chips and go sliding out the door on their butts. Several hundred pounds of medium grain sand fixed the problem (and also gave the fat production sex links a little cushion when hopping down in the coop). We replace the sand in coop and shed every year (just added to runs). We continue to use a mix of straw and wood chips over the sand. As we remove waste daily, most added microbes don't get a chance, but microbes are usually on/in most `substrates' (dog rubbing rear across pile carpet for instance). Sand represents a large surface area so, in most situations, evaporation of moisture is more rapid than from absorbent materials with less. If one's runs have poor drainage to start with, it's a good idea to look to improving that before putting down anything. As we are in the woods, with big Hickories in chicken run direct heating is intermittent. The sand, in the summer, can be sprayed with water and a box fans set up outside of the runs. Both the chooks and turks enjoy the evaporative cooling. In the mud season (when the thaw sets in) sinking down into the clay isn't an issue. If one is using very fine grained sand (dusty), rinse it before use (wouldn't use it here owing to local soil composition as it would just disappear). Have never observed `overeating' of sand by chooks or turkeys (poults don't bother with it), or observed dropping that would indicate undue intake. (black dots in sand, in shot below are black oil sunflower seeds - the devils dumped my cup):