# Sand!



## batman23 (Dec 24, 2008)

is it bad or is there any bad thing that can happen to your pigeon if you have sand flooring?


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

There are different kinds and grades of sand...but I do not know of any bad side effects of sand...it may be hard to keep clean, and it may retain moisture...to clean it you would need a rake/screen small enough to allow the grains of sand to pass thru but pick up the poop! I am building a new dove cote in which I am going to try a gravel base. There is no perfect substrate...every idea has pros and cons and you weigh those for your birds and your own methods/preferences.


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## Queen (Aug 24, 2008)

Australian sand is very salty if you get it from the beach. Therefore the salt adsorbs moisture. If you wash the sand very well to dissolve the salt it is ok we have had a sand floor in our dove aviary for five years and we rake it and add more form time to time.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

if you have a dry climate,as one message states they use it,seems to work,,..but my personal opinion is,..birds will eat it and it does contain silica-for makings of glass etc.,i do not use it,my aviary is 6 foot off the ground-soas the husbandry is easier,and i feed them a good quality pigeon food and grit,..food for thought??..sincerely james waller


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

batman23 said:


> is it bad or is there any bad thing that can happen to your pigeon if you have sand flooring?


My dad used sand for years, when we lived in California and I was a kid, but we had an open loft ( one side was open and an aviary enclosed that part) with excellent ventilation, and I cleaned and sifted sand every other day. We also replaced it on regular basis.

I would not use it in this hot and humid climate where I live now.


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## Pegasus (Feb 6, 2007)

I only use sand in the nesting bowls under the twigs beddings...I noticed that using sand in the bowl keep the eggs wamer a bit longer...On the floor I have it bare wood...


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

IMO, I think sand would be a pain. shovel in and at some point shovel out and replace, scraping a bare floor does not take much time, I would not like having to sift poop, but that's just me


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Read what this fellow has to say about it under the category...CLEAN LOFT.
You will need to scroll down a bit.

http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/pigeon/race-loft.html#clean


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Charis,

I love that website, and that section should be in the loft design forum, if it isn't (and now is). Thanks for posting it.

My birds never had an issue with the sand, but they flew everyday.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

spirit wings said:


> IMO, I think sand would be a pain. shovel in and at some point shovel out and replace, scraping a bare floor does not take much time, I would not like having to sift poop, but that's just me


 Sand on the floor would need to be raked and sifted ever other day or even every third day. I think this would be easier then scraping,but I have never had sand on the floor and now I have wire floors and trays that I pull out to clean. ...GEORGE


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

george simon said:


> Sand on the floor would need to be raked and sifted ever other day or even every third day. I think this would be easier then scraping,but I have never had sand on the floor and now I have wire floors and trays that I pull out to clean. ...GEORGE


I keep thinking of cleaning a cat box and sifting out the poop and that is just a small what 20x12 square, could'nt imagine doing that to a whole loft. and the crunch from the sand on my wood floor in the house from my shoes would drive me crazy!....just does not appeal to me, but to each his own.


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## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

just read on(oldish-19850book on pigeon keeping and it says sand is ok on loft floors,but id say a good quality sand if your going to do it


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## Alamo (Nov 22, 2008)

I have used "OIL DRY" for years..You buy it at any auto parts store...You CANNOT use any cat litter for flooring material...It has added ingredients,to stop odors etc..Not good for the birds....With Oil Dry,you rake it once or twice a week...You replace it every two months....SAND is NO GOOD....BUGS/LICE etc make their home in it...I have never had a problem with bugs with the Oil Dry...Their are pictures of my loft here in a few posts...As you can see,I use it mainly under the YB perches now...That`s where most of the droppings are...The rest of the floor,I scrape...It takes me 10 minutes or less to clean my YB section...The birds stay healthy and CLEAN.....Alamo


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Alamo said:


> I have used "OIL DRY" for years..You buy it at any auto parts store...You CANNOT use any cat litter for flooring material...It has added ingredients,to stop odors etc..Not good for the birds....With Oil Dry,you rake it once or twice a week...You replace it every two months....SAND is NO GOOD....BUGS/LICE etc make their home in it...I have never had a problem with bugs with the Oil Dry...Their are pictures of my loft here in a few posts...As you can see,I use it mainly under the YB perches now...That`s where most of the droppings are...The rest of the floor,I scrape...It takes me 10 minutes or less to clean my YB section...The birds stay healthy and CLEAN.....Alamo


I use stall dry for horse stalls and just sprinkle it when humid, drys out the loft real nice....bet oil dry is cheaper


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## EgypSwiftLady (Jan 14, 2008)

Last summer I tried a sand floor, about 2-3 in. deep, and it was a pain in the neck! Our pigeons have a tendency to flick some of their seeds and I would have to sift the sand to get all the seeds cleaned up.

Needless to say I shovelled it all out and have found that during the summer scraping the floor is much easier.


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## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

i have a sandpit in garden(covered at the moment as its winter) the pigeons seem to like walking in it when its uncovered (we replace sand regularly)


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## batman23 (Dec 24, 2008)

thanks evryone for the advice. i wont use sand.


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