Sand vs Pine Shavings in Freezing Weather

[AdirondackChick]

Ok. I have read tons of threads here and still have not found an answer to my question.

We are brand new to chickens and built a brand new coop (chicken space will be 8x8).

We live in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains in Very Upstate New York! Our winters can sometimes start as early as September and YES we have seen snow on the Fourth of July! January and February can get down to -40 degrees at night. We can get up to 3-4 feet of snow overnight! Our nights are still just 34 degrees, and yes there was snow on Whiteface Mountain this past week! 6 feet to be exact!

So, I have been wanting to use sand in my coop (we put down a thick coat of Black Jack 57 Roof Sealant), but I am afraid that the sand will make the floor and coop too cold during these very long winters. Would dealing with the pine shavings be something better for us here for the added warmth for our chickens?

Can anyone help with this? Our babies will be here next week and we want to put something down this coming weekend!

 

[LBKS]

I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but I'm planning on a sand coop floor, and had the same concerns (even though it shouldn't get quite as cold here). I think that maybe doing the sand and putting the pine shavings over it in the winter might be a good compromise -- then in the spring sifting out the pine litter for compost and having the sand already in place ready to go for warmer weather.

Seems like it should be the best of both worlds, but I'm not sure!

 

[MoonShadows]

If it were my butt, I'd rather sit on pine shavings in the winter, not cold sand, but I can't answer for the chickens. As of now, I plan on keeping shavings in the coop year round.

 

[mtdream33]

The Blackjack 57 was the floor sealer I was leaning toward as well. And wouldn't you know it, I'm also very interested in the sand instead of pine shavings. I will follow this thread with interest.

Have you applied the Blackjack yet? I think the temps should be between 60 and 70 degrees for that, but not sure. Our nights are still down in the 30's and 40's here, but I think if we get a good day of mid 60's to 70's I will still have to wait for the plywood floor of our coop to dry out completely. The roof isn't on it yet and we have had some wet weather. It shouldn't take long to dry out as when the sun does come out here, humidity is pretty low. Not sure when we will be done with the building at this point but I'm thinking two weeks or so.

Really, really interested in what everyone has to say. We are taking electricity to the coop eventually so we will have a bulb in the winter going for some heat.

 

[AdirondackChick]

I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but I'm planning on a sand coop floor, and had the same concerns (even though it shouldn't get quite as cold here). I think that maybe doing the sand and putting the pine shavings over it in the winter might be a good compromise -- then in the spring sifting out the pine litter for compost and having the sand already in place ready to go for warmer weather.

Seems like it should be the best of both worlds, but I'm not sure!

This is what I was thinking of trying, but just how nasty will that job be at the end of the season for just a few short months of plain sand in the coop be?

If it were my butt, I'd rather sit on pine shavings in the winter, not cold sand, but I can't answer for the chickens. As of now, I plan on keeping shavings in the coop year round.

I was thinking the same thing, but am hoping to find out more from others that have tried the sand in very cold climates. I don't want to go through putting sand down and then having to remove it a few months later.

The Blackjack 57 was the floor sealer I was leaning toward as well. And wouldn't you know it, I'm also very interested in the sand instead of pine shavings. I will follow this thread with interest.

Have you applied the Blackjack yet? I think the temps should be between 60 and 70 degrees for that, but not sure. Our nights are still down in the 30's and 40's here, but I think if we get a good day of mid 60's to 70's I will still have to wait for the plywood floor of our coop to dry out completely. The roof isn't on it yet and we have had some wet weather. It shouldn't take long to dry out as when the sun does come out here, humidity is pretty low. Not sure when we will be done with the building at this point but I'm thinking two weeks or so.

Really, really interested in what everyone has to say. We are taking electricity to the coop eventually so we will have a bulb in the winter going for some heat.

I applied the Black Jack 57 when our coop was just a plywood floor. It was rained on for three days after before we could do more work. Then we were able to get the walls up and only a small section of roof when we were hit with well over a week of solid storms. On the first day that it stopped raining my hubby headed out to finish roof while I swept out about 2 inches of water (we still had no people door and there was a 2x4 blocking the floor where the door would be, therefore holding in all the water). I simply used a broom to sweep out the water, took a leaf blower and dried the floor. Within 20 minutes of working our floor was very dry! We have dropped tools on it, build the walls on it and still no scratches or scraps! This was the best $45 I spent on this coop! I used about 3/4 of a 5 gallon pail of the Black Jack 57 intially on the floor. Once the inside walls are finished I plan on caulking the edge around the floor and then move up the wall with the Black Jack about 6 inches or more.

It is thick, very thick. I used a brush to seal any nail holes and put a glob on the nail hole then spread over it-this absically sealed all nail holes, then I syliconed the seams of the floor (3 peices of plywood for an 8x12 coop). I then used a roller to roll the Black Jack 57 down. It was dried overnight.

 

[mtdream33]

That is encouraging! Sounds like I will need more than 5 gallons. Not sure of my exact dimensions of the coop area yet since the building is going to also serve as garden storage. We will have a people area and a chicken area and I'm still working thru the floor plan in my not so sharp mind! Over all though, our building is 16X20. I wouldn't think I would need the blackjack on the entire floor since not all of it is for the chickens...but then again, why not seal everything. Even my storage area would benefit from it as I will be dragging wheelbarrows, tillers, etc in and out. So that's 320 sf of floor. Will have to see what the coverage requirements are on the label.

I'm really, really thinking I will go with sand all year round. With the bulb in there, and insulation in the walls, my chickens should have it pretty good without shavings. I'm just so down on the shavings based on my chicken sitting escapades at the neighbor's property last year. Granted, the coop was small and the water receptacle was always splashing water around, but this made for a horrible mess of caked shavings and poo. Not pleasant. This is also the reason I'm going with a 5 gal. covered bucket/pvc and nipple design for watering. Those galvanized waterers are so messy IMO. I think I will still have some water dripping on the floor when the chickens drink, but it shouldn't compare to the mess I saw with the other waterer. Of course this is all in theory! Talk to me after the chickens are here!

 

[AdirondackChick]

That is encouraging! Sounds like I will need more than 5 gallons. Not sure of my exact dimensions of the coop area yet since the building is going to also serve as garden storage. We will have a people area and a chicken area and I'm still working thru the floor plan in my not so sharp mind! Over all though, our building is 16X20. I wouldn't think I would need the blackjack on the entire floor since not all of it is for the chickens...but then again, why not seal everything. Even my storage area would benefit from it as I will be dragging wheelbarrows, tillers, etc in and out. So that's 320 sf of floor. Will have to see what the coverage requirements are on the label.

I'm really, really thinking I will go with sand all year round. With the bulb in there, and insulation in the walls, my chickens should have it pretty good without shavings. I'm just so down on the shavings based on my chicken sitting escapades at the neighbor's property last year. Granted, the coop was small and the water receptacle was always splashing water around, but this made for a horrible mess of caked shavings and poo. Not pleasant. This is also the reason I'm going with a 5 gal. covered bucket/pvc and nipple design for watering. Those galvanized waterers are so messy IMO. I think I will still have some water dripping on the floor when the chickens drink, but it shouldn't compare to the mess I saw with the other waterer. Of course this is all in theory! Talk to me after the chickens are here!

As far as the Black Jack 57 goes, we did the entire floor of our coop. We are also having a people/storage area as well as chickie area. We also put a thin coat on the floor of my garden shed and so far so good. That is 10x10 and the coop/barn is 8x12. WIth 1/4 of a 5 gal pail left. My hubby was so impressed by this stuff he is going to do the wood floor of his closed in trailer and ramp with it! He uses the trailer for snowmobiles, ATVs, etc!

The Black Jack 57 we used was the black color for $45 a 5 gallon pail. They do sell it at Lowes in white but that was something like $75 a 5 gal pail.

I am also going with the Chicken Nipples on a PVC pipe, we have yet to put that together! So much more to do before our babies arrive next week! But so darn exciting!

 

[c2chicks]

I'm in NE Ohio, not as cold as you, but certainly well below freezing for extended periods. I love sand in the coop. It was easy to clean all winter and it stayed light and fluffy. I mixed in some Sweet PDZ and DE--keeps everything oder free and the girls could dust bathe. My girls spend as much time as possible outside, even in the snow--maybe some of the really cold weather folks will chime in with some advice!

 

[mtdream33]

Make sure you let me see a pic once you put your watering system together!

I might be able to put the blackjack on as early as this weekend-if I even have time with the kids ball schedules. The roof will be on this week, but I will still wait for my chicks until we have it almost done. Might just get a few good layers to get us thru this year and buy chicks next spring......would love me some little chickies though and the kids are chomping at the bit to get going.

 

[Amethyste]

So, living here in the Pacific Northwest, it can get downright cold.

We live in an area that tends to get the convergence zone...so many times we will get the snow, ice, rain, and general winter ickiness that others in the next county won't. The girls tend to give us the stinkeye when the snow is higher than their backs We have lived here since 2002, and since then we have gotten snow to our kneecaps at least once per winter (on average), and more commonly the snow is shin deep to me and I am 5'3. The lowest nighttime temps has been about 7 F. Average is probably 20 ish F.

We are rebuilding our coop this summer/fall, and I have been reading up on things here. Since we will be using an unheated 8 x 8 coop, is sand in the coop still a viable option? I am just sick of shavings but if its better in our type of weather then I will do so. I really want whats best for my girls. I am just worried that it will be way too cold for them with the sand mix instead of shavings.

Reading in the threads, I am leaning towards a 1/2 PDZ and half sand ratio for the coop floor atm.

(We do use an automatic water heater that clicks on at 32 F water temperature, so they always are able to get water from the nipples, and we have a heat lamp that we only use when its below freezing to aim at the water container to help keep it from freezing )