Sand vs. Shavings. Opinions/advice?

[Justmewithchix]

Question for you guys. I have a roughly 6x8 ft (floor space, they've got some roosting rods and they're nesting nooks as well raised from the floor in the coop) raised coop for my 19 strong flock of 6-7 week old chicks, and I'm currently using Pine Shavings inside of it.
I live in North-Western Florida, so its not too humid where I'm at (its fairly low, just spikes for a bit when a storm rolls through), we get to about 80s-90s F in summer time, and roughly 50s average for a low in the winters (with an odd week here and there of a drop to 30s and 40s). The main thing is it can be WET here.

Winter and Summer storms can just plow through and I'll occasionally have a straight week of just clouds with off and on rain. Such as this week, where I'm basically expecting 4 days straight of heavy and light rain.
I've been researching what to do for them for the heavier storms where id need to coop them up and I ran across something that interested me. Sand in the Coop for bedding, reasons I'm finding being it's the least likely to allow for bacterial and respiratory issues for the birds, helps regulate Temps throughout the year, plus allows for grit intake and dust baths. What i'm trying to figure out is what would be best in my climate. The pine shaving I'm currently using vs a thick layer of sand?

What are some opinions/experiences you guys have using one over the other? Reasons for preferring one over the other? Anyone living in a similar climate as well? I'm curious and still deciding

 

[Brooks_]

I would continue with the pine flakes/shavings. Sand can be used on poop boards, but is not generally recommended for the whole of the coop.

The main thing is it can be WET here.

You mean overall, not wet in the coop?

Also, the coop is too small for 19. Mine is too. I added a hoop rain cover adjacent to the coop to compensate for this. Your climate will allow for some wiggle room on space requirements. Make sure ventilation is adequate and monitor for behavior issues.

 

[Justmewithchix]

Yes, wet overall. We get frequent rain throughout both winter and summer. The coop is built well enough to stay dry inside.

Also, the coop is too small for 19. Mine is too. I added a hoop rain cover adjacent to the coop to compensate for this. Your climate will allow for some wiggle room on space requirements. Make sure ventilation is adequate and monitor for behavior issues.

Yeah, let's just say the number 19 was an accident. Lol the coop was build to accommodate 12 laying hens, which is what was agrees on. Then someone here in my house got a wild hair and ordered 20 (we lost one early on unfortunately), then pointed out that the coop was too small (he's the one that built it...). So I'm aware of space concerns and I'm trying my best to compensate for it, at their current size its not an issue but I am still keeping an eye on them as they get bigger.

Can I see what you mean by Hoop rain cover? I'd like to get an idea for how to help for space when they get to full size.
Also most storms here aren't too bad, just a lot of general rain, but we do occasionally get a spin off of a harsher storm that comes with high wind and rain blowing in sideways, so I already know down the line I'm gonna need to have something that is adequate for extra space needed and also stays dry inside. I'm trying to get ideas.

 

[Brooks_]

Can I see what you mean by Hoop rain cover?

This is a side view of what I did. It is 3 cattle panels to form the arch.

 

[aart]

I live in North-Western Florida

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[K0k0shka]

Wet sand takes forever to dry, because it's compacted with very little surface area. Shavings are fluffy and have a high surface area, and dry faster. So for wetness alone, I would not recommend sand. But for many other reasons, too. I don't see how it's any better than shavings for "bacterial and respiratory" issues. Bacterial - given that sand is more likely to stay wet once it gets wet, that will promote bacterial growth and actually be worse. Respiratory? Fine sand particles are coarser than shavings, so if it gets dusty and the chickens breathe it in, sand dust is worse than shavings dust. Grit intake? Sand doesn't count. Grit particles have to be large enough to actually be able to grind food down. Look at the poultry grit sold for chickens - how large the particles are, much larger than sand. Eating sand will only lead to potential impaction, it won't aid digestion. Another problem with sand is that you sign yourself up for very frequent cleanings - you'd need to scoop it like a litterbox, which, for 19 chickens, would be a LOT of poop and a lot of cleaning. Shavings are good at absorbing stuff and the poop kind of gets mixed in with the shavings, and you can afford to clean a lot less frequently (I clean my coop out twice a year, with no poop boards). And when you do clean it out, the whole mix of shavings and poop can be composted and used in the garden/yard. With sand, it doesn't actually absorb any of the poop. When the poop dries, as the chickens walk and scratch around, it gets pulverized by the hard, sharp grains of sand, and you end up with poop dust mixed in with the sand that's impossible to clean out. You can scoop out the bigger chunks, but over time (and with THAT many chickens) you'll end up with progressively higher proportions of poop dust mixed in with the sand. When it gets too dirty to keep cleaning out, and you want to replace the whole volume, what are you going to do with it? It won't compost, you can't add it to soil, it will be very heavy to move... with no place to go. There's a reason why shavings are the #1 choice for bedding.

Also, like others have said, that size coop is way too small for 19 chickens. Whatever bedding you choose, will get dirty faster if you have too many chickens for the space.