Call it littler, or call it bedding. The semantics won’t change the fact that your chicken coop needs it.
After all, coop bedding does more for your girls than keep them comfy and cushion their landings. It’s vital for odor control, insulation, and sanitation.
But here’s the thing. There is no “perfect” bedding material.
What works for one flock might not do it for another.
Can you find a material that your hens love without tons of trial and error first? Maybe.
To boost your odds, I rounded up five of the materials I’ve tried over the years.
Read on to find the best bedding for your chicken coop, how much you need to buy, and how often you have to change it.
5 Coop Bedding Options to Consider
Pine and straw are incredibly popular picks. Sand and hemp are a bit more niche.
Here are the pros and cons to expect with each bedding material:
1 – Pine Shavings (With or Without Pine Straw)
Since they’re so attainable, pine wood shavings are a popular pick for coops. But I’d go for dust-free coarse or medium flakes if I were you.
As for the clean-up, you can just pick up the “clumps” with a kitty litter scooper.
Pro tip: Tape the scooper to a broomstick if you don’t have one with a telescopic handle. Your back will thank you!
The bedding does compact after a while, and one way to get around this issue is to mix the shavings with a bit of pine straw (AKA pine needles).
2 – Straw for Winter Insulation
Is your number one goal to warm up the coop? Straw would be a good choice in that case.
It’s hollow, so it traps in the heat and repels moisture—so much so that folks use it to create a cozy, weatherproof shelter for community cats!
It’s super soft, and your hens will love scratching into it.
Unfortunately, there’s a catch.
Straw doesn’t clump. It mats.
If you don’t put in the effort to remove the dirty parts, the bedding will turn into a matted, soiled mess.
Plus, you need to make sure you’re getting your straw from a reliable source. Some farmers spray pesticide on their straws, and you don’t want that near your girls (or your compost pile).
3 – Sand for Low-Maintenance Coops
Now, things will take a controversial turn.
Go ahead and visit any backyard chicken-keeping forum, and you’ll see at least a couple of users praising sand bedding. Some folks even swear that it keeps their hen’s feet pristine.
Others believe it’s one of the worst bedding materials ever and could cause silicosis.
Me personally? I gave it a shot a while ago and didn’t hate it.
My flock didn’t seem to mind it, either. In fact, they loved the frequent dust baths, even though the cushioning wasn’t great.
I was also surprised that the coop didn’t stink. I’d give it daily scooping to get rid of the dehydrated droppings.
I could see the drawbacks that might deter people away, though.
For one, it’s so much harder to move enough sand for a coop than it is to grab a few bags of wood shavings.
You also can’t just grab some play sand and call it a day. You need to look for medium, construction-grade sand.
Admittedly, once you put it down, it’ll be a while before you even need to consider replacing it.
4 – Hemp for Small Coops
If it weren’t for its low availability and high cost, hemp would’ve been my number one coop bedding choice. It’s absorbent, has great odor control, and doesn’t mold easily.
I’d go for it in small coops, where the added cost won’t be a terrible burden.
5 – Recycled Paper for Brooders
Shredded paper is so soft and gentle that it works well for chicks in a brooder box. But outside of the brooder box, I don’t see it being a practical bedding choice at all.
It needs changing often, compresses quickly, and stinks too much for my liking.
Plus, can you imagine the amount of paper you’d need to cover a full coop?
Not-So-Great Bedding Materials to Avoid
Cedar bedding is quite controversial.
Some say it’s toxic. Others say that it’s not any more toxic than any other aromatic wood shaving material.
It’s safer to avoid cedar shaving.
I’d also steer clear of:
- Sawdust
- Hay
- Undried grass clippings
Calculating the Right Amount of Bedding for Your Coop
Okay, so you chose a bedding material. The question now is how much should you buy.
The exact amount depends on the coop size, the number of birds, how long they stay in the coop, etc.
Ideally, you want a layer that’s deep enough for the hens to be able to scratch without uncovering the floor. This usually calls for 3–4 inches of bedding.
In most cases, the manufacturer puts a label on the product to let you know how many cubic feet one bag is good for. If math isn’t your forte, use a mulch calculator to run the numbers.
That’s only the initial amount. You’ll want to have extra bags on hand for topping up the bedding that gets compressed and depleted with every clean-up.
Of course, that’s assuming that you’re not using the deep litter method. More on that later.
Setting a Bedding Changing Schedule
There are no hard-and-fast rules to follow here, either.
The bedding changing and clean-up frequency will vary depending on the material itself and how much “use” it gets. Having a poop tray will also affect the schedule.
That said, you’ll probably need to remove the droppings daily to keep the coop from stinking. On a weekly basis, you can clean the coop and refresh the material.
But a full-on bedding change? Once every month or so should be enough.
You’ll be able to tell that the bedding needs changing if:
- The top-up layers have built up so high in the coop that it’s hard to add more layers.
- The poop-to-bedding ratio is too high.
- Top-ups and refreshers no longer fix the odor issues.
You can extend the lifespan of your bedding material by spreading it out in the sun to air out the ammonia and moisture.
Again, things are different with the deep litter method.
A Practical Approach: The Deep Litter Method
What’s up with the deep litter method?
In short, it’s a coop manure management technique that pretty much eliminates the need for poop scooping.
You’ll start with a thick layer (5–6 inches) of organic, compostable bedding (sand won’t cut it) in the fall.
As the material breaks down, you’ll rake the surface, get the chickens to stir it by tossing in treats on the ground, and add more bedding.
By the time spring rolls around, you’ll move nearly all the bedding to the compost pile and give the coop a good scrubbing.
Why nearly all the bedding and not all of it? Well, you’ll need a base layer to inoculate the new deep litter as you begin another cycle.
Final Thoughts
Sand is a hit or a miss, hemp is great but expensive, straw is hard to clean, and pine shavings have a universal appeal.
Either way, don’t forget that your girls need adequate ventilation and monitoring. If you spot any signs of respiratory irritation, consult a vet and change the bedding material right away!
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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