All Purpose Sand in coop

[SobbaChickens]

There are so many posts on this site about using sand in coops but I've also seen tons of people asking what kind of sand can be used and I have yet to see a straight answer.

Is this something that is more of a personal choice or this there really certain sand that absolutely CAN NOT be used? I'm so confused

My coop will be 48 sq ft. I'm needing the best/cheapest floor covering possible and I was really excited about using sand but now I'm rethinking it after really seeing how much it's going to cost for all that sand. Plus I have to go into the city to find sand that isn't wet (super annoying). This weekend I got 9 bags of washed/dried play sand at Home Depot for $3.69/ 50 bag. I then saw bigger bags, 80lbs I think, of all purpose sand for only $3.15. Can all purpose sand be used?

Thanks for your help! I really don't want to use pine shavings again

 

[ivan3]

Yeah, that's fine. We've used play/all purpose/construction depending on what's available. However, for large quantities, it is far cheaper to call around to see what you can get by the foot/yard from a local quarry.

 

[chfite]

I doubt that the type of sand really matters. Play sand, mason's sand, river sand. All have some differences, but when the sand is on the ground, it should be simply sand. Some has been washed, some straight from the pit.

Some have posted concerns about dust in some grades of sand. I have watched chickens take dust baths. They seem to enjoy the dust that they stir up in their digging and dusting.

I use river sand. The granules vary in size, larger than mason's sand, more varied than play sand.

I use river sand because a truckload of it is cheaper than the other types of sand. After all, the chickens are going to dig in it, poop in it, take dust baths in it.

I buy a pickup truck load of it at a time. I just shovel it from the back of my truck through the fencing into the run. Over the course of time, the chickens will level out the pile over the run. Therefore, I don't have to spread the sand around.

Rather than bagged sand, find a friend with a pickup truck. Enlist this person with the enticement of the moment to move a yard of sand to your house. One of the key elements of life is to know someone with a pickup, a trailer, and a chain saw.

Chris

 

[SobbaChickens]

Got plenty of trucks around here! I'll look into getting a truck load. Hopefully it'll be cheaper! I don't mind having a pile of sand around. The chicken run is gravel so I'd have no issue throwing any extra sand not needed in the coop onto the run.