What kind of sand is okay for coop?

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mandamay28

mandamay28

Chirping
Apr 20, 2016
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I'm looking to switch over to sand for my coop. Which is best? When I look at Home Depot or Lower I see paver sand, quickcrete.. things like that but no construction sand. Are they the same as construction sand?
Also, which sand is better for the birds as far a respiratory issue go? We are currently using a mix of pine shavings and hay. The coop stays a mess and smells. I'm looking for something that is easier to clean up and will help keep the smell down. Open to suggestions :) Thanks in advance or your help!
 
Home Depot and lowes both have bulk sand in 9 cubic ft bags they can load into the truck for you. I would not want sand, to me it sounds like a huge cat box that would require daily sifting. Deep litter is the way I am going to go, my coop is not finished yet my girls coming in the spring.

Good luck


Gary from Idyllwild Ca here
 
Last edited:
For years, I've been using construction sand. It comes in several grades from course to fine. The grade I like best is masonry sand, a mixture of fine and larger grains suitable for grit.

But surely you have a sand and gravel yard in your city somewhere. It's where you would order a cement truck to deliver to pour you a slab if you were to build. It's a lot cheaper than buying the stuff by the bag at Lowe's.

I pay $40 per yard for the masonry sand. Courser sand is half that. They will bring you a truck load or load some in a pickup or trailer and you can haul it yourself. A typical run will require at least two yards.
 
I use sand, and it works well. You want course sand, not fine sand. Fine sand does not drain as well as course sand, and the chickens can use course sand for grit. If they sell river sand get that. If you can get washed sand, that is best as it cuts down on dust, but I have used unwashed too. Bagged sand is $4 for 50 lbs, and this is 0.5 cu ft. As Gary said, you will need about a cubit yard to get a sand bed 4 inches deep for a 10x10 pen. This would be 54 bags and weigh 2700 lbs. You will need pickup truck and trailer to get it, it won't fit in your trunk! If you have access to a pickup and trailer, you can get it in bulk at a local quarry. I buy a yard for $35. And you usually end up getting more than a yard since they often use large front end loaders to get the sand, and its hard to guess on how much 1 yard is when the loader can carry 3 or 4.

Sand does require maintenance. Twice a year I shovel out the top inch or so which gets clogged up with chicken poop. I then add the poopy sand into my garden, and my vegetables love it! I then add new sand annually. You can see my run when the sand is new. Looks really nice! My 15x15 run took 2 yards, and I get 1 yard annually to replace what I shovel out and put in the garden.

 
The construction sand at Home Depot and Lowe's isn't in the garden section where the fine play sand is. Check out where the concrete is--that's where my local store has it. They'll sell broken bags for half off, you might ask!
 
mandamay28 said:
I'm looking to switch over to sand for my coop. Which is best? When I look at Home Depot or Lower I see paver sand, quickcrete.. things like that but no construction sand. Are they the same as construction sand?
Also, which sand is better for the birds as far a respiratory issue go? We are currently using a mix of pine shavings and hay. The coop stays a mess and smells. I'm looking for something that is easier to clean up and will help keep the smell down. Open to suggestions :) Thanks in advance or your help!
Click to expand...
Hi!,
not construction sand. Go to the quarry and get river sand. That is what you want. It is coarser and doesn't have the possible contaminants that construction sand may have. Playground sand is too fine and often has too much silica in it.
Best,
Karen in western PA USA
 

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