Do I have this right about sand?

[Loving my girls]

Hi there, I’ve tried lots of options but always with a shelf under the perches.
Initially I used newspaper and this was quite good, it soaked up any liquid and I simply threw the top layers into the compost. Unfortunately my newspaper supply dried up (excuse the pun).
So I had a lot of reused printer paper so I tried that, not so good as it didn’t soak it up and was messy as the hens seemed to have fun kicking it onto the floor.
Then I tried sand. I found this very messy, it seemed to get everywhere. I don’t use the deep litter option and so it wasn’t for me.
Then I tried sawdust shavings, but again my supply dried up,
Then I tried leaves - bad idea all round, messy as hens wanted to lay eggs in it, scratch in it, anyway a definite bad idea,
Then I tried hemp shavings, this was really good and clumped the poops well so cleaning it was easy. I mixed DE with it - definitely a 9/10. I stopped that as I decided to use the hemp shavings in the nesting boxes and didn’t want the same product in both places.
Eventually I decided on nothing at all. The shelf is covered with vinyl floor tiles and I just scrape of the poops which go into the compost and wash it down with some water and vinegar- job done, price zero.
Sorry this is so long, hope it helps,
Hugz

 

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

Oh, I just noticed that picture is the old model, not the one I have. Mine has vents in the eaves. I got the picture from an add because my photos are on my other computer.

 

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

That coop is a previous model. Mine does have vents in the eaves, and as I said (maybe replied in this thread to the wrong person), I made a hardware cloth screen for one of the doors, so I can leave the door open for more air if they need it.

 

[Redhot419]

We're debating bedding for our new coop. Do I have this right, that sand is good as long as your coop stays dry? Our coop is raised and fully enclosed.

So far after several books read I'm leaning toward deep litter sand method. They will have a large protected run that will be on natural ground, with a baby pool dust bath provided under the coop for cover.

Related Qs-
Tips on the correct names of sand type? (I'm in Pennsylvania - have not seen anything but play sand in stores so I need to know what to ask about when I call suppliers)
What do you do with the sand when you do a big clean out? I've seen recs to compost or add to run but sand isn't going to break down, is it?

Sand is too heavy for inside MY actual raised coop. OF ALL THE dif. things I have used in the COOP, the #2 best thing ever is HEMP (4’x6’ raised coop, too small for “shit shelf, but EASY TO DAILY CLEAN!!!) I would love hemp everywhere but not feasible cost wise. originally wanted sand & I’m going to do this year. Tried many things for couple yrs and now I’m going back to my choice of sand just didn’t do it yet. I don’t believe sand really has to be completely changed out (possibly every few years). I’ll worry about disposal later, but no it will not break down- all of the droppings that I pick up I just throw in a huge planter I have sitting off of the way back & side it —draws flies over there and away from us & my coop, and that composted broken down stuff is put down yearly in my gardens and just turned under… all of my plants and vegetables are doing amazing with the chicken compost!!! LARGE covered Run, kids plastic pool for their dust bath, but what I did last year was DEEP LITTER METHOD for COOP & RUN and I promise I will do that every single year for inside the coop AND run. My favorite thing #1 thing tho for coop is COFFEE GROUND BEDDING. I’ve tried it ALLLL •&• this is the best. That’s what made me decide to definitely do sand in the chicken run this year because of how amazing the Coffee ground bedding is there’s not enough room here to tell you everything I love about it! Now my HENS despised it with every fiber of their being at first & it took about 2wks- not that they had a choice, but they were rebelling, refusing to go to bed, step on it, even laying eggs outside of the coop in the run a couple of times, but I fought through it and now we are all happy!!!(for some thing that steps in chickenshit all day long, not liking the texture of coffee grounds was mind blowing to me!) ** Bottom line -DEEP LITTER METHOD for late fall, winter til spring, COFFEE GROUND BEDDING & SAND spring - summer.

 

[Redhot419]

Up inside the house where they sleep I have a machine washable pet mat that is meant to put under a cat litter box. I give them a clean one every day (cut to fit to cover the whole floor). this coop's floor is a metal tray that can be take out and rinsed off, however I can't do that easily because there is a tree in the way. So I just change the mat, hose it off, and machine wash it. Small residential yard. I think in the heat the sand area gets enough sun to dry out if I rinse it once a week. It's blistering hot here during the day. This coop does a very good job keeping them in deep shade all day. I sometimes drape a shade cloth over the wire end. Just one side.

Have you tried cutting some cheap remnants of linoleum instead of taking that mat in and out daily or however, often you do it? Lolium has been a lifesaver for me once a year I pull the whole thing out because I didn’t fasten it to the floor and I clean it, but with my coffee ground bedding on the top there’s very little ever Stuck to the linoleum. Simple & fast Is best for me.

 

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

The mat thing is fairly simple. I don' have any bedding on top of the mat. (it's a flannel type surface) My chicks are still little, 3 1/2 weeks, but to (inexperienced) me they look to be about half as big as full grown chickens. They still sleep together in the bed. Early on (while they were still in the indoor brooder) I saw that they didn't really need bedding all over the whole floor, just in their actual "bed", which is an oversized keyboard box (ergonomic keyboard with attached wrist pad) under the brooder. Even now that they are in the coop day and night (still with the brooder plate at night), they don't really poop much on the bed, either that one, or the one in the small pet crate they use as a hiding place when they are in the run if something scares them. I'm using hemp bedding. I just take out the visible poop (with gloves) every morning and let it sit in the sun for several hours. The sand bedding at the bottom of the enclosed run, I rake out the poop every morning. I started using a mask and it really helps! Thanks to whoever suggested that! On the bigger run that will be outside the whole thing, I am planting Chicks Mix grass. I put a flat of it in the sand run most days, and they won't touch their grain until the grass is all gone.

 

[AGeese]

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Brooder plate

• AGeese
• May 21, 2022
• 1

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I use sand in the brooder. Haven't found a way to get washed river sand here yet.

 

[Yarytza]

Have you considered using poop boards in the coop instead? They make chicken keeping SO much easier.
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You can use a thin layer of sand on them but I much prefer zeolite granules (Sweet PDZ) or stall dry. Both of these mineral break down in the compost pile.

I bed the coop down with either pine shavings or hemp. Both compost. I only clean the coop out annually. The boards are scooped with a metal cat litter scoop into an old cat litter bucket daily.


Sand cannot be a deep litter substrate because it does not break down. It will not allow the poop to compost in the coop. It will have to be scooped regularly to keep odors under control.

washed concrete sand is coarse enough to work.

No. It won't BUT it will promote better soil structure in heavy clay soils when mixed in.

great idea.