Frozen Shavings

[JacobMaxwell]

I am very surprised by this. My father keeps 350 dairy cows bedded on sand (it's pretty much standard for the dairy industry any more, the cows love it) and it doesn't freeze solid unless a cow has decided to pee in her stall. It sounds like your sand got really wet somehow. The cattle stalls are raked three times a day, so we'd definitely know if the sand was freezing.

I think the reason why my sand froze was because, firstly, the sand was a little damp, and, secondly, my coop is raised off of the ground so that it is easy for the cold to get to the sand. I might try sand again in the summertime, but it is just too cold underfoot (even if it doesn't freeze) in the winter where I live (northern Ontario, Canada)

 

[tadpole98]

You said they might have been a bit damp? I would let the bedding dry before using it to maybe prevent it?