Sand in coop. Need opinions

[DS17]

I am thinking of going with sand in the coop this winter instead of shavings. the coop is raised off the ground and has a wood floor. We live in central Ks where the wind chill can make things cold. We do have winter hardy chickens but with the raised coop, will it be too cold in the winter with sand? I do not have power to the coop so I don't do any lamps or lights in the winter. Any help or advice is appreciated!

 

[azygous]

The best thing I ever did was change out the shavings in my coops to sand. It's so much easier to clean.

Sand actually has the capacity to be a heat sink and therefor mitigate winter temperatures in the coop, especially if there are windows that let in sunshine. In one of my coops, I have a large window that lets in sun, it warms the sand which holds the heat for the next 24 hours, and can keep the temperature to a much warmer average.

My other coop has windows, but no direct sunlight enters. The coop is still warmer than outside in winter.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I was thinking of trying the same this winter. My coop is built on a hill so I have more space underneath it on the back half away from the run.
My plan is to put straw bales around the perimeter. In the back they should fit right under the coop. I thought that would help keep the floor warmer.
I was going to get some tarps too. In Ohio we have Marc's and Ollies, discount stores, where I can get them pretty cheap.
I'm in what we call the snow belt. So lots of snow and cold blowing wind. I did shavings on the floor last winter and it was great till spring cleaning. I had a terrible time getting the place clean.
That's my plan at least.

 

[Wise Woman]

I am not a fan of sand. In 2012 I decided to switch to sand in my coop. Within the next few months, 5 chickens died. They were young, between one and two years old. No, I didn't send them away for necropsies so I don't know why they died, however, nothing else changed except for the sand. So was it something to do with the sand?

Then when winter came and the whole thing became a giant litter box. Yes, we have poop boards, but during the bad weather when they didn't want to go outside, they staying inside and pooped all over the sand. I would end up on my hands and knees trying to scoop it out as best I could. It was so gross. I eventually covered the sand with pine shavings.

We are in the process of building a new coop and we will not put sand in the new coop ever again. This is just my experience and a lot of people will disagree with me, but that is ok. I don't like it and I won't use it ever again.

 

[GinaNew York]

this will be our first coop and first winter. the majority of the coop is filled with TS flakes, but a 3 x 3 foot section is sand by the pop door so the wet feet might have a place to clean off when they come in - I hope it works - Ill get back to you with the experience - but I see with the poop that you do need to litter scoop it just from the 24 hours in the coop

 

[DS17]

Thank you all for your responses! I’m still on the fence as to what to do. Since the coop is raised and the chickens use the underneath as part of their run (I have a coyote problem and they are not free ranging right now) I’m not sure sand is the best way to go in the winter since the wind chills can make it quite cold. I may wait to try the sand in the spring/summer.

 

[GinaNew York]

after a week in the coop - here's the sand update - they all love it and are dustbathing in it; a few poops to scoop out - the rest of the coop is shavings - since some people here report their chickens don't use the sand, it's a learning experience

 

[Mama Runner]

this will be our first coop and first winter. the majority of the coop is filled with TS flakes, but a 3 x 3 foot section is sand by the pop door so the wet feet might have a place to clean off when they come in - I hope it works - Ill get back to you with the experience - but I see with the poop that you do need to litter scoop it just from the 24 hours in the coop

Watch those TS bedding really carefully. We had a bad time buying bedding there. We had pieces that were like bark, I and the Ducks got splinters. Just be careful when you are putting it in and check for big splinter pieces.

 

[Folly's place]

I always use bagged shavings, and find that the local feed stores have a better product that TSC, and for a better price. Call around!
Daily poop scooping when using sand sounds like way too much trouble, especially in winter!!! Maybe with four chickens, but with 45? No way!!! Mary

 

[GinaNew York]

I always use bagged shavings, and find that the local feed stores have a better product that TSC, and for a better price. Call around!
Daily poop scooping when using sand sounds like way too much trouble, especially in winter!!! Maybe with four chickens, but with 45? No way!!! Mary

this is only a 3 x 3 foot section at the pop door so that they "wipe" their feet on the way in - turned out they actually like it! I don't think I would like it for a big spot, though the coup was built to handle it - that 3x3 is 150 lbs of sand (3 bags). you have to have a good solid supported floor to do an entire raised coop - I'm reading that the poop doesn't break down in the sand and it's too hot when it gets hot like walking on the beach - so a small spot is a good test right now