Sand for Kennel Substrate

[drdoolittle]

I have a 6' x 8' covered dog kennel attached to my chicken coop. My chickens free range all day, but they can access the kennel if they want any time and some chickens actually roost on sawhorses in the kennel at night.

I have most of the kennel covered with heavy tarps and am going to fully enclose it for the winter as well as attach hardware cloth to the chain link and have it as extra coop space. (We don't have much trouble with predators as we have 2 LGDs, but want to be sure rats can't get in.

There is no floor, just dirt which has a lot of clay. I really don't want to use shavings as a substrate, would sand be a good option?

 

[DobieLover]

I wouldn't use sand. I'm not a fan. It's nearly impossible to completely clean, and when it gets wet it stinks terribly.
For an outdoor kennel which you are basically converting into a covered run over soil, I would use any dry organic material you have handy. My preference is wood chips primarily because I can get them for free at the local highway department. A run with dry organic material for litter does not need to be cleaned out as it slowly composts the poop load. You can remove very well composted material and put it in your garden if you need to. But in the three years I've had my run set up I've never removed anything.

 

[drdoolittle]

I wouldn't use sand. I'm not a fan. It's nearly impossible to completely clean, and when it gets wet it stinks terribly.
For an outdoor kennel which you are basically converting into a covered run over soil, I would use any dry organic material you have handy. My preference is wood chips primarily because I can get them for free at the local highway department. A run with dry organic material for litter does not need to be cleaned out as it slowly composts the poop load. You can remove very well composted material and put it in your garden if you need to. But in the three years I've had my run set up I've never removed anything.

Thank you! I had no idea the sand would stink! I'm so glad I asked before buying sand......wood chips are so much lighter weight, lol!

 

[3KillerBs]

I wouldn't use sand. I'm not a fan. It's nearly impossible to completely clean, and when it gets wet it stinks terribly.
For an outdoor kennel which you are basically converting into a covered run over soil, I would use any dry organic material you have handy. My preference is wood chips primarily because I can get them for free at the local highway department. A run with dry organic material for litter does not need to be cleaned out as it slowly composts the poop load. You can remove very well composted material and put it in your garden if you need to. But in the three years I've had my run set up I've never removed anything.

I have noticed that the people here who are happy with sand over the long-term are almost always located in a very dry climate.

Any dry organic material that you can source abundantly at a reasonable cost will work for your run. Straw, pinestraw, wood chips, wood shavings, wood pellets (sold for horse bedding, fall leaves, dried grass clippings, other yard debris, rice hulls, ground corncobs, ....

My personal preference is a mix of materials rather than any one material used alone.

 

[Kelster65]

I live in Kentucky and use sand in my coop and run. I LOVE it! You either love it or not and it depends on your area, drainage, etc. What works for me may not work for you. The type of sand you use is important and may be why some really don't like it. Play sand is awful - too fine, doesn't drain and contains silica. Construction or river sand with larger granules is best but in a pinch, all purpose is ok. It's best when dry because yes, it can smell when wet but I still love it. If its outside in the sun, the sand will dry faster. Inside the coop the sand dries out the poop so it's clumpy and i clean it out within minutes every day, just like kitty litter. My coop does not smell nor do I have flies in the coop. I use it in my poop table too which i love. I rake lime and diatomaceous earth through the sand regularly. In the run I use a combination of sand and pea gravel. It's attractive, good for erosion, drains well, etc. It took a lot of pea gravel (light layer over dirt) for a 20x40 Kennel but I don't have to constantly replace it and it's done really well so far (I have a slight slope in my run). It's sort of trial and error but you're doing great by reading what works and what doesn't for everyone else. You'll find what you like for your own area, your landscape and personal reasons.

 

[3KillerBs]

contains silica.

ALL commercially available sand contains silica.

Silicon dioxide -- quartz -- is what sand is made from (with the exception of geologically unusual deposits such as volcanic sands or sands made from fragments of seashells).

Normal commercial sand is not dangerous. Any danger comes from the superfine dust particles inhaled over time.

 

[Kelster65]

ALL commercially available sand contains silica.

Silicon dioxide -- quartz -- is what sand is made from (with the exception of geologically unusual deposits such as volcanic sands or sands made from fragments of seashells).

Normal commercial sand is not dangerous. Any danger comes from the superfine dust particles inhaled over time.

Thank you..I didn't know that.