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Coop & Clutch

Coop bedding, judged on moisture

Bedding has one job that matters: absorbing water and letting it evaporate. Price per bag is the least useful way to compare it.

By Scooter M.Last reviewed September 1, 2026How we work the numbers out
Straw bedding in a wooden nest

Bedding exists to manage water. Droppings are mostly water, a flock produces them all night under the roost, and what happens to that water decides whether your coop smells of ammonia, whether the litter caps over, and whether the timber floor rots from the inside. Warmth and appearance are secondary.

The materials

Bedding compared on what matters
MaterialAbsorbencyCompostsNotes
Pine shavingsHighYes, readilyThe default. Cheap by volume at a feed store, poor value in small shipped bags.
StrawModerateSlowlyWarm and lofty, less absorbent. Hollow stems can harbor mites.
Hemp beddingVery highYesExcellent absorbency and low dust. Costs more.
SandNone - it drainsNoSifted daily like a litter box. Good in dry climates, poor where it freezes solid.
Chopped cardboard or paperHighYesDust-free and light. Breaks down fast, so it needs replacing often.
Cedar shavingsHighYesAvoid. Aromatic oils are a respiratory irritant in an enclosed space.

The deep litter method

Rather than stripping the coop weekly, deep litter starts with a thick layer of bedding and adds to it. Droppings get turned into the bedding with a fork - the birds do a lot of this themselves if you scatter a handful of scratch - and the layer composts slowly in place, generating a little warmth and consuming the moisture as it goes.

  1. Start with 4 to 6 inches of dry bedding on a dry floor.
  2. Turn it weekly with a fork, or throw scratch grain on it and let the flock do the turning.
  3. Add fresh bedding on top whenever it looks compacted or damp, rather than removing anything.
  4. Keep it dry. Deep litter fails wet - a leaking waterer or rain blowing in ruins it.
  5. Strip it once or twice a year, usually in spring, and start again. What comes out is close to compost.

Deep litter only works with good ventilation. It is a slow composting process, and it depends on moisture leaving the coop through the high vents. In a sealed coop it goes anaerobic, smells, and becomes the problem it was meant to solve - see ventilation, not insulation.

How to tell it is going wrong

  • Ammonia you can smell at bird height. Crouch down - judging from the doorway consistently understates it.
  • Capped litter: a hard crust on the surface, wet underneath. Turn it and add fresh.
  • Flies in numbers. Usually a wet patch under a waterer.
  • Dirty eggs, which usually means birds are sleeping in the boxes rather than a bedding problem. See roost bar length.
  • Any wet area that has not dried in a couple of days. Find the source before adding more bedding on top of it.

Where to buy it

Feed stores and farm suppliers, in the largest compressed bale or bag you can carry. The price per cubic foot of shavings bought that way is a fraction of what small shipped bags cost, and this is one of the few coop purchases where local beats delivered by a wide margin. That is why this page has nothing to click.

Questions people actually ask

+What is the best bedding for a chicken coop?
Pine shavings for most people - absorbent, inexpensive by volume at a feed store, and they compost well. Hemp is more absorbent and less dusty at a higher price. Sand works in dry climates where it can be sifted like a litter box. Never cedar.
+Can I use straw in a chicken coop?
Yes, and it is warmer and loftier than shavings while absorbing less. The main drawbacks are that it breaks down slowly and hollow stems can shelter mites. Many keepers use straw in nest boxes and shavings on the floor.
+How often should I change coop bedding?
With deep litter, you add rather than replace and strip out once or twice a year. With a shallow layer, weekly or fortnightly depending on flock size and weather. Either way, deal with wet patches immediately rather than covering them.
+Is sand good for a chicken coop floor?
In a dry climate, yes - it drains rather than absorbs and is sifted daily like a litter box, which keeps it clean with little bedding cost. In a wet or freezing climate it holds water and can set solid, which makes it a poor choice.
+Why does my chicken coop smell like ammonia?
Wet litter, not enough ventilation, or both. Ammonia comes from droppings breaking down in damp conditions and it is a genuine respiratory irritant. Turn or replace the litter, find the water source if there is a wet patch, and increase vent area high on the walls.

Sources

Why there is nothing to buy here: Bedding is bought in bulk from feed stores and garden suppliers where it is far cheaper per volume than anything shipped, and shipping compressed bags of wood shavings is a poor deal for the reader. The useful advice here is which material to buy locally, not a link.

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