Sand for Coop?

[Farmgirl1878]

We use a long-handled cat litter box scoop. It works perfectly on sand. Easy-peasy.

View attachment 4085793

I actually found a shovel that’s designed for the beach! It’s great for those “heavy loads!”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2WGDW84?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_title

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I actually found a shovel that’s designed for the beach! It’s great for those “heavy loads!”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2WGDW84?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_title

That is brilliant! I think I like that better than what we have.

 

[Bawkbok]

It's really personal preference, but if you're in a hot, humid, wet environment sand will be a problem as it retains moisture and doesn't dry out, gets sticky and sticks to the chickens' feet. We tried it since our "soil" is sand here. Doesn't work in the run, never dried out and smelled bad. I couldn't stand to be out there because of the odor.

We now use deep litter and are happy with the results. It works great for the climate. The chickens are always scratching around in it and dust bathing in the dirt areas, which is better to bathe in than sand as it gets into their feathers better based on the plume of dust they shake off vs. sand just sort of falling and rolling off their feathers -- and the flies are minimal. Our mixture is oak mulch, dried leaves, compost dirt and certain yard waste.