Where to Buy the Best Sand for Your Chicken Coop – A Complete Guide

Keeping chickens is a fun and rewarding hobby. But to keep your flock healthy and happy, you need to properly maintain their coop and run area. An important part of coop maintenance is providing good bedding material.

There are many good reasons to use sand as bedding in your chicken coop. Sand keeps the coop dry, keeps smells in check, gives chickens a place to dust bathe, and has grit in it that helps them digest. But not all sand is the same when it comes to being used as chicken coop bedding. The quality of the sand makes a big difference.

So where can you buy sand specifically designed for use in chicken coops? And what should you look for when selecting sand bedding for your flock? Read on for a complete guide on choosing and buying the best sand for your coop

Why Use Sand in Your Chicken Coop?

Before we talk about where to buy sand, let’s talk about why it’s such a good thing for chickens to sleep on. Here are some of the best reasons to use a sand coop floor:

• Promotes dryness: Sand allows moisture to drain easily, preventing a wet, muddy mess in the coop. This helps reduce disease risk and keeps chickens clean.

• Odor control: Sand does not hold smells like some organic bedding options. This keeps your coop smelling fresh.

• Gives chickens a dust bath: Chickens naturally love to dust bathe in sandy substrates to clean themselves and control pests.

• Provides grit: The particles chickens ingest while dust bathing aids their digestion.

• Low cost: Sand is an affordable coop bedding solution over the long run.

• Minimal maintenance: Sand only needs spot cleaning and periodic topping off, versus full bedding changes.

• Non-toxic: Sand contains no oils or wood extracts like cedar or pine shavings that are harmful if consumed by chickens.

Sand Bedding Options for Chicken Coops

Now that you know the benefits of sand for coops, let’s go over your options when it comes to purchasing sand bedding. There are three main ways chicken owners can acquire sand suitable for use in their coops:

1. Buy Pre-Packaged Sand for Chicken Coops

The easiest option is to purchase sand specifically sold as bedding for chicken coops. Two places that offer this type of specialized sand are:

• Green Earth Materials & Transportation – This company based in Ohio sells sand marketed as “Sand for Chicken Coops” in bulk and bags. They tout benefits like being inorganic, low dust, quick drying, and having low levels of pathogens.

• Tractor Supply Co. – Many Tractor Supply locations carry sand bedding labeled for use with chickens. Brands like Pennington Chicken Scratch and Barn Fresh Chicken Bedding are sold at Tractor Supply stores.

The convenience of pre-packaged chicken coop sand does come with a higher price tag. But you can be assured it’s a suitable grit size and cleanliness for housing chickens.

2. Buy Sand from Home Improvement Stores

Another option is to purchase sand from your local home improvement or hardware store. Good sand choices usually available at stores like Home Depot and Lowes include:

• All-purpose sand – Coarser grit than play sand, it provides good drainage. Look for grains ranging from fine to medium coarseness.

• Paver sand – Sand blended with crushed stone dust. Helps with drainage while giving chickens small stones for grit.

• Washed builder’s sand – A clean sand free of impurities. Look for medium grain size.

• Play sand – Very fine-grained so doesn’t drain quite as well, but a clean sand safe for use with chickens.

When you buy sand at one of these stores, stay away from the clumping kinds made for litter boxes because they have chemicals in them that you don’t want your chickens to eat. Also, don’t buy sand that says it’s for sandboxes because it’s usually dirtier.

The benefit of purchasing sand from home improvement stores is you can often find good deals, especially if buying in bulk. Just inspect the sand closely and avoid any that looks overly dusty or contains debris.

3. Purchase Sand from a Landscape Supply Company

Ordering sand from a local landscape material store might be the best way to get a lot of it at the best price. Bulk sand that can be used for chicken coops can be bought from stores that sell gravel, mulch, and other aggregates.

Key types of sand sold by landscape yards are:

• Washed concrete sand – A coarser sand that drains very well.

• Multi-purpose sand – Usually contains a mix of particle sizes ideal for coops.

• Masonry sand – Slightly coarser than play sand, with good performance for drainage and dust bathing.

Buying sand through a landscape supply company means you can often get a bulk discount. And they can deliver and dump it right into your coop run area. Just check that their sand selection does not contain limestone screening or other additives.

What to Look for When Buying Sand for Chickens

To ensure you get high-quality sand bedding for your flock, keep the following criteria in mind when purchasing:

• Coarseness of grains – Look for sand labeled as medium grit or with particles ranging from fine to medium in size. Coarser sand allows for better drainage.

• Washed and screened – This removes dust and debris, resulting in clean sand. Avoid sands labeled as “sharp”.

• Pure sand – Make sure the product contains 100% sand without binding agents, chemicals, or other additives.

• Low dust – Dusty sand is irritating to chickens’ respiratory systems. Prioritize low-dust options.

• Safe for use with animals – Purchase sand specifically for chickens or other livestock, not industrial-use sands.

By selecting a well-draining, dust-free, chemical-free medium grit sand safe for animals, you can feel confident you are providing your flock with the best coop bedding substrate.

How Much Sand Do You Need?

Another consideration when buying sand for your coop is how much you need to purchase. The amount of sand bedding required depends on the size of your coop and desired depth. Here are some guidelines on quantifying how much sand to get:

• For a light coating less than 1 inch deep, plan on 1 cubic foot of sand per 10 square feet of coop run space.

• For a standard 2-3 inch depth, get 3-4 cubic feet of sand per 10 square feet.

• For a deep 6 inch thick sand bed, use 7-8 cubic feet per 10 square feet.

So for example, if your coop run is 8′ x 12′ (96 square feet), and you want 3 inches of coverage, you would need 28-32 cubic feet of sand. Use an online cubic feet calculator to convert the amount to bags or weight if not buying in bulk.

Always get more sand than you think you’ll need to ensure full coverage. You can store extra bags or have extra dumped in a corner. It’s better than running out halfway through installation.

Installing and Maintaining Sand in the Chicken Coop

Once you’ve purchased the right sand for your flock, proper installation and maintenance is important for success. Here are some tips:

• Spread the sand at an even depth across the entire coop floor. Level and smooth it out with a rake or shovel.

• To deter pests, consider mixing in a thin layer of food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE) powder.

• Spot clean droppings and soiled areas daily with a kitty litter scoop.

• Top dress with new sand as needed to maintain depth.

• Every few months, rake and fluff the sand to improve drainage.

• Annually, remove all sand and replace with fresh sand to reduce bacteria levels.

With regular cleaning and replenishing, sand makes an excellent chemical-free and low odor bedding option that keeps coops clean and dry.

The Best Sand Provides Healthy, Clean Bedding

High-quality sand is an affordable bedding that offers chickens a substrate supportive of their natural behaviors like dust bathing. And it keeps their living space drier and cleaner compared to alternative options like wood shavings.

While buying pre-packaged sand for chicken coops provides convenience, you can often save money by sourcing sand from home improvement stores or landscape suppliers. Just be sure to select a non-toxic washed sand with an appropriate medium grit.

With the right sand coop flooring, you can keep your flock healthy and comfortable while saving yourself labor on coop maintenance. Your chickens will appreciate the dust bathing and foraging opportunities of a well-managed sand bedding.