How Often Do You Change Chicken Bedding? Complete Guide for Backyard Flock Owners

Are you constantly wondering if you’re changing your chicken bedding too often or not enough? You’re not alone! As a chicken keeper for over 5 years I’ve gone through my fair share of pine shavings and straw while trying to figure out the perfect cleaning schedule.

One of the biggest myths about keeping chickens is that their coops need constant cleaning and it’s a smelly, labor-intensive job Let me tell you – that couldn’t be further from the truth! Chickens are actually one of the easiest backyard animals to care for, and their bedding needs are pretty straightforward once you understand the basics.

The Short Answer: It Depends on Your Method

How often you need to change chicken bedding depends on several factors:

• Which bedding management method you use
• The size of your flock
• The dimensions of your coop
• The type of bedding material
• Environmental factors (humidity, temperature, etc.)

But don’t worry! I’m going to break it all down for you so you can create the perfect bedding maintenance schedule for your flock.

Two Main Approaches to Chicken Bedding

There are two primary methods for managing chicken coop bedding:

1. Traditional Light Bedding Method

With this approach, you’re using a relatively thin layer of bedding material that requires more frequent changes. Many chicken keepers using this method will:

• Remove soiled bedding and add fresh material weekly
• Pick up poop daily or every few days
• Add products like PDZ coop refresh to control odor and moisture
• Perform a complete bedding change every 4-6 weeks

2. Deep Litter Method

This is my personal favorite and what many experienced chicken keepers eventually adopt. With this method:

• You start with a thick layer (5-6 inches) of organic bedding material
• The bedding gradually turns into compost over time
• You add fresh bedding on top as needed
• Complete bedding changes are only needed once or twice a year

The deep litter method is sustainable, easier to manage, and creates valuable compost for your garden. Plus, your chickens get to forage through it, finding beneficial microbes and live cultures that are good for their health.

So How Often Should You REALLY Change It?

Based on my experience and the consensus from chicken experts, here’s a general guideline:

For Traditional Light Bedding:

• Daily: Pick up visible poop (if possible)
• Weekly: Add fresh bedding as needed
• Monthly: Consider a partial bedding change
• Every 4-6 weeks: Complete bedding change

For Deep Litter Method:

• Weekly: Stir bedding and add fresh material as needed
• Every 6 months: Complete bedding change
• Some chicken keepers only change deep litter once per year

One coop owner with 40+ hens shared: “I fluff the bedding as needed and add fresh bedding every week or so. I only clean out half the coop at a time, letting it build up to about a foot deep. The litter develops beneficial organisms that kill fly larva, keep smell down, and generate heat in winter.”

Factors That Affect Bedding Change Frequency

1. Flock Size vs. Coop Size

This is probably the biggest factor! More chickens in a smaller space = more frequent bedding changes.

As one backyard chicken keeper noted: “Someone with a large coop and few birds will be able to go much longer. Someone who has many birds in a small coop will have constant maintenance.”

2. Type of Bedding Material

Different materials break down and absorb moisture at different rates:

3. Season and Climate

You’ll likely change bedding more frequently in:

• Wet, humid conditions
• Summer months when bacteria multiply faster
• When chickens are confined to the coop more due to weather

Warning Signs It’s Time to Change Bedding

Regardless of your schedule, there are clear indicators that bedding needs changing:

1. Noticeable ammonia smell (this is harmful to chickens’ respiratory systems!)
2. Excessive dust buildup
3. Wet, matted, or caked bedding
4. High poop-to-bedding ratio
5. Bedding has reached maximum depth for your coop

One chicken owner described their approach: “I change my coop bedding when either the level of soiled bedding is so high that I can’t add any more, the poop-to-shavings ratio becomes unacceptably high, or I detect an odor that isn’t fixed by adding another couple inches of bedding.”

Pro Tip: Use Poop Boards!

Many experienced chicken keepers swear by poop boards – platforms placed under roosting bars to catch overnight droppings. This simple solution can dramatically reduce how often you need to change your main bedding.

“Poop boards that get cleaned regularly and dusted with Sweet PDZ… which my chickens treat like it’s a drug and immediately dust bathe in,” shared one chicken owner.

Several backyard chicken owners mentioned cleaning their poop boards every 3-4 days while only changing their full coop bedding once or twice a year!

Best Bedding Materials for Chickens

Based on expert recommendations, these are the top bedding choices:

Highly Recommended

• Hemp bedding – Top choice for its absorbency (soaks up 4x its weight), anti-insect properties, and ease of cleaning
• Pine shavings – Popular, affordable, organic, and compostable
• Aspen shavings – More absorbent than pine with no aromatic oils

Good Options

• Straw – Insulates well and chickens enjoy scratching in it, but molds easily and doesn’t absorb well
• Mortar sand – Doesn’t attract bacteria, lasts longer than shavings

Avoid These Materials

• Cedar shavings (respiratory irritant)
• Hay (attracts pests)
• Newsprint (slippery and has toxic inks)
• Cat litter (chickens may eat it)
• Peat moss (can harbor bacteria)

My Personal Experience

When I first started keeping chickens, I was changing bedding every single week because that’s what I thought good chicken keepers did. Talk about unnecessary work! Now I use the deep litter method with pine shavings, and honestly, my coop smells better and my chickens seem happier.

I add fresh shavings about once a week, stir everything up to prevent matting, and only do a complete cleanout twice a year (spring and fall). My poop boards get cleaned every 3-4 days, which takes just a few minutes.

The best part? In spring, I have amazing compost for my garden that my tomatoes absolutely love!

Practical Tips for Easier Bedding Management

1. Start with quality materials – Don’t skimp on bedding! Cheaper isn’t always better.

2. Layer properly – Start with at least 2-3 inches of bedding, more if using deep litter.

3. Keep it dry – Position waterers to minimize spills and address leaks immediately.

4. Use coop refreshers – Products like Sweet PDZ or agricultural lime help control moisture and ammonia.

5. Consider your climate – You’ll need more frequent changes in humid areas.

6. Install poop boards – These will dramatically reduce your workload.

7. Repurpose old bedding – Used bedding makes excellent garden compost.

Final Thoughts

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how often you should change chicken bedding. Your perfect schedule will depend on your specific situation, management style, and the needs of your flock.

The most important thing is to monitor conditions in your coop and respond accordingly. If you see excessive dust, smell ammonia, or notice wet bedding, it’s time for action regardless of your schedule.

As one experienced chicken keeper wisely shared: “I have a 5×7 coop and 5 chickens. Pine shavings with some PDZ, no poop boards. I’ve changed out the bedding once in the past 8 months. No smell, no dust, no problems. I stir it around occasionally. I’ll do another full change in the spring, aiming for twice a year total. Works for me.”

What works for your coop might be different, and that’s perfectly okay! The goal is healthy, happy chickens and a coop that doesn’t become a maintenance nightmare for you.

Do you have any bedding tips or tricks that work well for your flock? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

The frequency of cleaning chicken coop bedding depends on the method used; the deep litter method requires adding fresh bedding every few weeks and a full clean-out only twice a year, while standard cleaning involves spot-removing soiled bedding weekly and a complete bedding change monthly.