But to give you an idea of how much sand you might need, I needed about 3.15 cubic yards of sand to fill my 10x10 coop to a 4-5 inch depth. One last thingif youre new to chickens, regardless of which bedding you choose, youll want to cover the bedding completely with paper towels for the first few days or even a week. I use approximately 4 inches of sand inside the chicken coop and as much as a foot in the chicken run. Sand likely does not insulate as well as organic bedding if the organic bedding is used in the deep litter method. When I first added sand to my coop in the heat of the summer, I was amazed at the huge reduction of flies. Because sand is so good at insulating, I worry it may retain too much heat under the brooder heating plate. Sand doesnt hold moisture the same way organic bedding does, and because of this, you dont need to worry as much about mold and ammonia. People either believe that sand is a perfect wonderland or that sand is a horror story. And, if your chickens sense danger at any time, they can stay hidden for quite a while without eating as long as their crops are full. Perhaps for the same reason, sand is more resistant to microbes than other types of bedding, keeping baby birds healthier. No, theyll dust bathe in the coop bedding instead. Sand bedding is great for chickens because its: Cleans chickens feet (and therefore you have cleaner nesting boxes and eggs), Conducive to lower moisture conditions and therefore less frostbite. Similarly, hardwoods shavings such as beech should be avoided due to their propensity to harbor disease causing molds and fungus as well as containing toxic phenol fumes. Play sand may cause crop impaction in the short term, and it may cause serious respiratory illness in the long term. NO! How I use these supplies is explained in detail below. For more on this, see my review of the scientific literature in The best chicken coop bedding: Sand vs. straw vs. pine shavings. Really, the cost can vary quite a bit depending on where you live, so be sure to see your local gravel company for an estimate. NC State University (Sand as brooder litter & a perfect ground cover), Small Flock Series: Managing a Family Laying Flock, University of Missouri Extension, Coop litter choices: Straw should be checked for mold or contamination prior to use. Does your chicken coop need to be off the ground? Theres very little in the way of pathogens that can survive those high of temperatures. Hi Kathy, An important point here is that even if you have another type of bedding, like pine shavings or straw, if the bedding is getting wet, your chickens are going to really suffer. Wait, you might be thinking, havent you been saying this whole time that sand has fewer pathogens? Im not a fan of the bagged sands found at Home Depot & Lowes, for example. If the sand doesnt work, I may just brood the chicks on paper towels even though that means lots of cleaning and bedding replacement. So there my chickens were, covering themselves in poopy, decomposing pine bedding, looking so innocent and gross. Because chickens do not sleep on the floor, they DO NOT need bedding. When it gets wet or rains, it drains, sand is easy to clean, and its a wonderful medium for dust bathing. Some of you might even have your own straw or be able to purchase it from neighbors. However, Ive recently learned that pine shavings are toxic to chickens. I didnt realize one of the drinkers was leaking the tiniest bit. As an added bonus, its really fun! I am seeing the term litter more often in blogs, so maybe we are on our way! This is not a sand problem, but a maintenance problem. That fresh bedding smell doesnt last for long though. Poultry visionary, Charles Weeks wrote of the benefits of sand as chicken litter in his 1919 book, Egg Farming in California, in which he stated: Sand is the only material to use on the floors of poultry houses. Ill first test that the heating plate doesnt make the sand too hot, and if it doesnt, Ill use the flamethrower on the sand to kill any pathogens. 
This shovel has holes in it and acts like a giant kitty litter scooper. With sand in your coop, you dont have to worry about the increase in moisture leading to a drastic increase in ammonia. Its a one-time deal. Our beach sand is fine in texture. What chickens need is litter. Soiled sand doesnt stick to feet like other types of bedding can. In a worst-case scenario, this could cause your sand to freeze. Next time I brood chicks (coming up spring 2021! If you have a small coop, you may be able to get away with 2-3 inches, but youll need to make sure you spend a couple minutes each day scooping the poop out. Sand in the coop is also great for summer dust bathing because, despite the hot weather outside, the coop sand is relatively cool. I suspect this is the same for chickens as they have very sensitive respiratory systems. Ive found that sand by far exceeds the other types of bedding when it comes to whats best for my chickens. As it turns out, sand is not a novel or modern chicken litter concept; the use of sand is a tried-and-true, old timers method of raising laying hens. It really is such a nicer living environment for your girls and roos. Because sand absorbs moisture and dries quickly, the overall moisture level in a sand coop will be lower than in other coops. It didnt dry out until summer the next year. Heres a good tip for you: purchase and move your sand into your coop when the weather is super dry. Just for the sake of being totally accurate heresand is actually terrible at absorbing moisture, but it releases moisture so well that it just doesnt matter. This doesnt mean that your coop cant still catch on fire, but the chances are much lower with sand compared with anything else. Even though we barely get rain here, the dew that collected overnight was enough to keep it just slightly damp until summertime. Your sand dries the poop quickly and releases the moisture quickly, unlike organic bedding. Sand decreases Coccidiosis problems because coccia require warm, damp environments with oxygen to sporulate. Chickens are able to acquire a natural immunity to coccidiosis gradually without contracting the intestinal disease from an overpopulation of disease-causing oocysts promoted by wet litter. It saves me from having to get on my hands and knees to scoop the poop. Your sand should never have enough water in it to freeze, not even close. To fill my 10x10 coop with 3.15 cubic yards of sand, I spent about $20 for the sand. You probably answered this before, but what do you do with the sand from the coop after your annual cleaning? Its particularly awful in the winter when theyre mostly confined to the coop. Here is a list of the supplies that I use (includes Amazon links): Flamethrower (most people dont use this). Just leaving it there may work for quite awhile, but if you dont keep it clean in the long term, youre going to have major coop sanitation problems. Sand bedding is low cost in the long run because you dont have to keep buying new sand. As I mentioned above, when I used other types of bedding in my coops, my chickens always had poop on their feet. Once the following year is up, I swap the now year-old sand in the coop with the sand thats been sitting out for that year. Well, sand in the coop is also wonderful for winter dust bathing. Sand may be used in the run. A giant pile of sand in front of one of my chicken coops, waiting for use in the coop next year. The main reason I havent used sand is because Im worried about pathogens. We are newbies with 6 week old chicks. A regular, enclosed coop wont have that exposure to the sun inside and will actually be much cooler. Any bedding that gets soaking wet is a huge problem. 
The pros of using sand in the chicken coop, The cons of using sand in the chicken coop, How sand holds up against other bedding types, When not to use sand for chicken coop bedding, Exactly how to find and buy sand for your chicken coop, Lets start by getting this one thing out of the way. This happened to me my first summer raising chickens. At worst, the chickens will get sick or even die. None of them have all of these qualities. Clean, sharp sand is the freest from dust and easy to keep clean, as the droppings lay on top and are easily lifted off.. That sounds hyperbolic, but really Im just being blunt. These all have potential problems too, though. Droppings boards are scraped off into a bucket, ordinarily first thing in the morning, then added to compost. As any chicken owner knows, chickens need grit to help break down their food during digestion. This important piece of information comes from the Chicken Chick. They should also have less exposure to parasites, like worms. 
), Im definitely going to try sand. The pictures below show just exactly what medium- to coarse-grained sand looks like. Because my chickens are free range, I have not bothered putting bedding in their run (and their runs are not covered). And despite the fact that chickens have wonderful dirt outside for dust bathing, when your girls get that itch to dust bathe, some of them dont want to have to go all the way outside. Additionally, if you use sand in a chicken tractor, the tractor may be difficult to move. Many people rely on the deep bedding method to keep their coops a few degrees warmer in the winter. But for the rest of us, we want to be able to leave bedding in for longer than a week at a time, especially if we have a large coop. Many play sands are manufactured by crushing quartz, which creates fine, dusty particles that pack closely together, neither of which are desirable features for chicken litter. Medium- to coarse-grained sands and very fine-grained gravels are safe for chicken coops. Some people say that their chickens eat more of their own feces when its covered in sand. At best, chickens living in these conditions will be extremely uncomfortable. If you are using electricity in your coop, theres always a chance of fire. Let me just say right off that even though sand is cleaner, you do still need to keep on top of it. Since it dries up so quickly, once turned, it breaks up easily. I scrape the trays every morning using a taping knife. Also, beach sand should not be taken from the beach for environmental reasons. The gravel company dumped my sand right next to my coop for me. Garden centers, landscaping and construction companies are all good sources too. The delivery cost me $90. Many chickens get extremely watery poop in the summer months because they are drinking so much more water. Additionally, respiratory illness can take months or years to develop. A shovel and broom make quick work of the annual task in my coops. What kind of sand is safe for chicken coops? I dont recommend using sand bedding in coops if they dont have floors. Should sand in the chicken run get wet from drinking water, blowing snow or rain, using a roto-tiller or shovel to turn it facilitates drying and keeps the sand fresh and mobile. Your sand, or any other type of bedding, should always be dry. And only sand. 
Their access to dust baths outside is also limited in the winter. Gravel companies have referred to this type of sand as river bank sand, mortar sand, and concrete sand. Dont use sand if your coops going to be wet insidebut really just dont let your chickens live in wet coop conditions. I have no idea if this is the case, but its a concern. The use of sand in the chicken yard or run is ideal in especially wet climates since water drains through the sand instead of creatingmud puddles filled with decomposing straw or wood shavings. Any stray droppings found inside the coop are easily removed with a kitty litter scoop or sifter. And you dont have to have a leaky waterer in your coop for bedding to get dampwatery chicken poops can have the same effect. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The pine shavings bedding on top was completely dry but some of the bedding near the floor was getting soaked. No, beach sand is not appropriate. This is because the sand is blocking the passageway out of the crop. I leave the old sand out for the year and let it get rinsed and dried repeatedly through the year by the elements. Sand can be purchased in bulk at local quarries relatively inexpensively. Although sand may save you money in the long run, it may be expensive in the short run. Every 1-2 weeks, I use a shovel with holes in it, like this shovel from amazon, to remove the poop on the floor in my large 10x10 coop. Its so obvious, but somehow, weve all missed it (or at least most of us have). The storage of food in a chickens crop means that she can eat a whole bunch of food at once and then go to a safe area to let it digest. This means it retains the moisture from chicken poop longer than more coarse-grained sands. Think about itstraw, pine shavings, pine needles, etc. And, once again, the research also backs this upsand bedding keeps a coop cooler. For more information on how to find this sand, where to buy it, and how much it costs, see the section below, Where do you find sand for chicken coops? This is simply because your coop will have so much less wet poop in it, and because sand is inorganic and not breaking down. Our chicken run is covered by a roof, but with open sides, rain gets the sand wet from time-to-time. Check out my thoroughly researched article, A Comparison of 21+ Chicken Coop Bedding Materials. The dust from fine-grained sands may even eventually cause silicosis in your chickens. Its unfortunate that we all call our litter bedding because this is how weve completely missed the point. I know a lot of city dwellers take this approach, and its a lot cleaner. Inexpensive linoleum placed on top of wood flooring before adding sandmakes deep-cleaning the coop a breeze. If you have a waterer in your coop that ever leaks or spills a little bit, you run the risk of ammonia building up and of course, the risk of mold growing. The leaky waterer resulted in a high amount of ammonia being produced very quickly. It was not uncommon for me to find several eggs every day with poop smeared on them. You dont know which way its gonna fall for your chickens and coop. You cant see or feel the crop when its empty, but the more food and water it has in it, the bigger it gets. Once a year I remove the sand from my coops, clean the entire coop and fill it with fresh sand. Theyd cluck a bunch, scratch around in it excitedly, lay eggs in it, and nest in it. You dont get the smells with sand that you do with straw, pine shavings, and the like, because the sand isnt breaking down. Droppings boards are essentially a shelfthat catches droppings produced from chickens roosting at night. This is because sand has great insulating qualities. Dont mix anything into the sand or underneath it. Sand can be used on coop floors that are cement, dirt, or wood. My first year raising chickens, I started with 28 hens and 2 roosters, and I felt terrible for them living on pine shavings. My gravel company, for example, had no idea what I was talking about. Ive used both of these! Litters primary functions in backyard coops are to keep the coop dry, control smell from fresh droppings and facilitate cleaning, the most common materials being soft wood shavings, chopped straw and sand. DEEP. I dont know what has pooped in it. The short of it: your chicken may die a horrible death if she gets crop impaction. What do you suggest we put as the foundation/first layer so any rain water can drain? With the deep bedding method, your bedding releases a little bit of heat as it decomposes. But they actually prefer their sheltered coop dust baths in those cold, snowy months! Ive seen the opposite. Many chicken owners use sand bedding in the brooder, but I do have some reservations about this. (Do think twice before you use pine shavings, thoughsee my article, Pine shavings in the coop: The secret chicken killer?). I also was not aware, until recently, that pine shavings are toxic for chickens - more information on that in my article, Pine shavings in the coop: The secret chicken killer? Yeah, thats rightdo some research. I had to empty the whole coop (and it was a large coop, so this took some effort), let it dry out for a couple of days, and start all over again. For more information on the coop design topics discussed here, see my articles: 8 chicken coop floor options: The best flooring materials for your coop. I worry that the sand may have some pathogens in it from these wild animals and open range livestock. The following sections detail all these fantastic features of sand bedding. Sifting shovels, and sand sifting pans make quick work of cleaning sand in the coop and run. People get used to it, which is why you dont hear many people talking about this, but when you first get started with chickens, you really have the yuck factor when it comes to the bedding. Peat moss for chicken coop bedding: Amazing or dangerous? Sand desiccates droppings, it does not retain moisture or decay inside the coop, which means less risk ofrespiratory infections, fewer flies and other insect activity, less bacterial growth, reduced bumblefoot infections and a lower risk of frostbite compared to shavings and straw. How in the world is your bedding getting soaking wet? Click HEREfor 5 Tips for a Cleaner Coop with Less Effort, Testimonials from chicken-keepers:Facebook thread #1Facebook thread #2Facebook thread #3Facebook thread #4Facebook thread #5, Egg Farming in California, Weeks, Charles,San Francisco, Schwabacher-Frey Stationery Co., 1921Sand as Litter for Rearing Broiler ChickensS. Conventional types of bedding, like pine shavings and straw, can be purchased from your local farm store. Its a range of different sizes. Think: newborn calves and lambs that live in barns and sleep on straw bedding. One of the biggest concerns about using play sand in the coop is that when your chickens inevitably eat some of the sandand believe me, they will eat some of their bedding no matter what youre usingthe play sand can cause crop impactions. Although there are some treatments for crop impaction if caught in time, you want to avoid this condition at all costs. Sand is a material that is very natural to chickens. Then sand on top? 
I have an entire article that goes over this topic in great detailif you want to see sources for all the studies showing that sand does not harbor bacteria the way other bedding types do, check out my other article, The best chicken coop bedding: Sand vs. straw vs. pine shavings. Chickens dont bedthey roost, preferably on wood of some kind. For the new chicken owner, let me just say something else. This means your chickens arent protected from the elements, and your coop needs to be enclosed. The sand in my coop is about 4-5 inches in depth. So the same reason kids are able to use wet play sand to mold and build things like sandcastles is the same reason chickens are at an increased risk for crop impaction. For the same reasons, sand coops have markedly fewer flies. The last thing I want in my coop was a droppings-laden mat of respiratory trouble for my chickens. Heres another good trick to make sure you get the perfect size of sand. Each year or so, I take the sand out of the coop and put new sand inthis is why I recommend buying twice as much sand as you need to fill your coop. Res. What makes a good litter? I visited the gravel company to see what they had available. The reason crop impaction is a much more serious problem with play sand than larger-grained and mixed-grained sand is because play sand is composed of grains that are very fine and of similar size. Res. Youll see that out of all possible bedding materials, sand ranks #1. The photo above was taken in the middle of winter during a week with sub-zero temperatures. But this is a coop maintenance problem more than a sand problem. Because of this, Ive always felt more comfortable brooding my chicks on fresh pine shavings. Ive personally found that if your coop is properly ventilated, the added heat from the deep bedding method is quickly lost anyway, but others swear by this method. When that happens, I either use a shovel to turn it or roto-tiller to freshen it up. That may be the case. The Auburn research states, Sand, being inorganic, contains few nutrients that could be utilized by bacteria and, thus, would tend to lead to lower bacterial numbers. Additionally, sand may lack binding sites for bacteria. Straw is a poor choice for litter due to its notorious lack of absorbency, tendency to causecrop impaction, propensity to form manure mats, and inability tocontrol moisture, insects, bacteria levels and ammonia. See my article here for more info and sources. The correct sand type goes by a great many names, washed construction grade sand, bank run sand, river sand, equestrian sand, etc. I have seen some sands with these names that are too fine grained. Theres not much in between. The good news, though, is that once you buy it, you dont have to keep getting more as you do with other types of bedding. My chickens seem to be much less interested in eating sand bedding than they are in eating organic bedding. To learn how to build this exact coop, check out my video course and plans. Hay is inappropriate due to harmful mold spores and dust.Alternative Litter Materials for Growing Poultry, Jesse L. Grimes, Extension Turkey Specialist. This then prevents the chicken from being able to digest any foodthe crop just gets bigger and bigger, the more the chicken eats. However, many gravel companies dont have a special name for the sand. Sand. It also can be hazardous to humans over the long term. Thank you! I do live in the country though, and this gravel company is a lot more expensive than what youd find in a more populated area. Additionally, in humans, long-term exposure to play sand can cause cancer. My sweet Barred Rock hen, Wilma, and the girls enjoy their clean sand in the coop! They wanted me to give them the size in millimeters, but I had no clue. When a chicken eats something, it sits in her crop before going through the digestive process. However, your chickens will do best with sand if the run is covered. Crop impaction from sand is most common in chicks, but some chicken owners have said this has happened with their adult chickens as well. Youll need to look at gravel companies to source your sand. These are not qualities you want in your bedding. My chickens are free range, but they dont like to venture out into the cold weather as much. Worst case scenario, I could scoop it out into the run and return to using pine shavings. And for the record, this is not just me claiming sand is cleanerits the scientific research. You will need to remove all the sand from your coop and use the flamethrower to thoroughly flush your sand. The chickens looked much less miserable in the coop. This means that the grains can compact easilythere is a lot less pore space, and when the grains get wet, they are very cohesive. This means that, if youre not using sand, you may need to change bedding, or add more bedding (if youre doing the deep litter method), fairly frequently to keep the ammonia levels low. Chickens broke their legs jumping onto it. Remember, they say that to fill an 8x12 coop with sand to a 6 inch depth, youd need about 2.5 tons of sand. I ordered a large amount of sand so I could use it for several coops and runs, including some we hadnt even built yet. NC State University (Sand as brooder litter & a perfect ground cover)How Sand is MadeSmall Flock Series: Managing a Family Laying Flock, University of Missouri ExtensionHatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks, Gail Damerow (Storey Publishing, 2013)American Veterinary Medical AssociationCoop litter choices: Straw should be checked for mold or contamination prior to use. I guessed the grain size was around 0.5 mm long and up. I noticed a big difference in my coops summer temperature when I put sand inside. Most of the sand you buy from big box stores is going to be too fine-grained. The second reason you dont want to use play sand, or any fine-grained sands, is because fine-grained sands are really dusty. Replace the paper towels as needed. It just felt noticeably cooler and the sand was cooler to the touch. Salt can kill chickens if ingested in sufficient amounts. Oh my god! Check out the video below to see just how fast a fire can start in your coop if you use organic bedding, like pine shavings, and a heat lampspoiler: within 45 seconds. The ammonia in my coop got to a high level because certain types of bacteria flourish on damp bedding and release ammonia. The last thing you want is sun shining on your sand and heating up the surroundings. Stay away from play sand. What about insulation in the cold winter months? There is no risk of crop impaction with sand, in fact, sand is beneficial to the digestive tract since it is used as grit in the gizzard to break down fibrous foods before being passed in the droppings. I highly recommend you have extra sand, though, if possibleits cleaner in the long run. Provided it is sifted periodically to remove chick poops, sand lasts much longer than other types of bedding, making it extremely economical. While it is uncommon for baby chicks to ingest litter when feed is available, its better to allow them to become accustomed to starter feed for a few days before introducing any litter into the brooder, opting for paper towels instead. In inclement weather, sand inside the coop is dry and dust-bath ready! Every time you see this, youll wish you had sand. They should be able to help you find the perfect sand. Chicken breedsCoops and runsChicken careChicken behavior, BlogTerms and conditionsPrivacy policyContact me, Mama hen's guide to raising spoiled-rotten chicks. For the first two years of my chickening adventures, I used pine shavings as litter inside the coop primarily because they were a common recommendation that was readily available fairly inexpensively. I started my coops with pine shavings, hoping to use the deep litter method to keep my chickens warmer over the winter. Sand continues to be recommended by poultry experts and veterinarians today. There are plenty of anecdotes where people say they use play sand and it works great. When it is kicked into a drinker, sand doesnt float and discourage drinking but rather sinks to the bottom so the water remains clean. Here it is: Chickens dont actually need beddingwhat they need is litter. The picture here shows the sand that I ended up buying. Unlike many other forms of bedding, like pine shavings, sand is a material that chickens in the wild are likely to see and live on. These kinds of conditions are not humane conditions for chickens. Additionally, if you dont have an extra pile of sand to swap ini.e., you only have enough sand to fill your coop and no extrathen I definitely recommend the flamethrower step. B. Hess, J. P. Blake, K. S. Macklin, and J. L. Sibley, Auburn University,2005 J. Appl. I worried something was wrong with her. Believe it or not, Amazon sells bagged straw for coops as well! But dont take my word for itthe scientific research backs me up on this (see my article, The best chicken coop bedding: Sand vs. straw vs. pine shavings for more information).
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