How Often Should You Change Your Chicken Coop Bedding?

It’s important to keep your chicken coop clean if you want to raise healthy, happy chickens. On the other hand, it can be hard to figure out how often you need to change the sheets. Changing the bedding too frequently wastes time and money. Bugs and ammonia can build up if you wait too long, which is bad for the health of your flock. So what’s the right amount? Keep reading to find out what you should think about when deciding how often to change the bedding in your chicken coop.

Why Chicken Coop Bedding Needs Changing

Before we talk about how often to change the bedding, let’s talk about why it’s so important.

Getting rid of waste: Bedding picks up poop, food, and water that gets spilled. This keeps the coop floor relatively clean and dry.

Odor control – Regular changing prevents ammonia odor from droppings building up.

Reducing flies and pests – Clean bedding deprives flies and parasites of a place to breed

Avoiding respiratory issues – Ammonia and dust can irritate chickens’ airways Fresh bedding prevents this

Promoting health – Cleanliness wards off disease-causing germs and parasites like mites.

Encouraging natural behaviors – Chickens love to scratch and dust bathe in loose bedding.

So keeping the bedding fresh is fundamental to your chickens’ health and wellbeing. But what’s the optimal schedule?

Factors That Determine How Often to Change Chicken Bedding

There is no set rule for how often you should change the sheets. The right schedule depends on several factors:

Number of Chickens

It stands to reason that the more chickens you have, the quicker the bedding will become soiled. For a small flock of 2-6 birds you may only need to change it every 2-4 weeks. But for 12+ chickens you’ll probably need to change at least weekly.

Coop Size

Again, this is common sense. A large coop will allow you to go longer between changes. But when housing many chickens in a small space, aim for at least weekly changes.

Types of Bedding

Some materials like sand tend to stay cleaner longer than others like straw. Paper-based beddings are very absorbent but can cake up. Wood shavings are a good middle ground. Know your bedding.

Local Weather Conditions

Hot, humid climates can cause bedding to become damp and ammonia-ridden faster than drier areas. You’ll likely need to change more often in these conditions.

Cleaning Habits

Spot cleaning droppings between changes extends the life of bedding. If you don’t do this, you’ll need to change it out more frequently.

Time of Year

In hot summer months, aim for weekly changes. You can likely get away with less often in winter. Deep winter freezes may even allow you to simply layer new bedding over old.

Signs It’s Time for a Bedding Change

Rather than rely on a rigid schedule, it’s good to also watch for signals from the bedding itself:

• Strong ammonia smell – This indicates a buildup of droppings.

• Visible caking/clumping – Bedding is excessively soiled and compacted.

• Very dusty – Time to swap it out before respiratory issues occur.

• Damp patches – Wet bedding promotes mold and bacteria.

• Evidence of pests – Fleas, mites and flies breed in dirty bedding.

• Chickens avoiding coop – They instinctively avoid ammonia and pests.

• Lack of scratching/dust bathing – Chickens dislike interacting with soiled bedding.

How Often Experts Recommend Changing Chicken Bedding

Most backyard chicken guides recommend the following general schedules:

• Small flocks in large coops – Every 2-4 weeks
• Medium flocks – Weekly
• Large flocks in small coops – Twice weekly

However, they stress the importance of taking into account all the factors previously discussed.

For example, The Happy Chicken Coop recommends a weekly change for most flocks. But they advise more frequent changing for brooders due to the high volume of waste chicks produce.

Thompson & Morgan suggest layering new bedding over old during winter. But removing all bedding for a thorough clean-out at least twice a year.

The Hen House says aim for weekly changes. But monitor ammonia levels using your nose, and be prepared to change more or less often as needed.

Chicken Keepers Share How Often They Change Bedding

To get an idea of real-world schedules, here is what chicken keepers in online forums say about their bedding change frequency:

• “I have a small flock in a large coop and only change it every 4-6 weeks.”

• “With 12 chickens I have to change it weekly, especially in summer.”

• “It’s a lot of work so I only do a full clean twice a year. But I spot clean droppings and wet areas.”

• “I use sand that seems to stay fairly clean. I change it every 2 months or so.”

• “With 18 birds in a small coop, I have to change it 2-3 times per week.”

• “I wait as long as I can between changes. My coop never smells bad.”

• “I do a full clean first spring, layer new on old for winter, then fully change again next spring.”

Best Practices When Changing Chicken Coop Bedding

Once you’ve decided it’s time for a change, follow these best practices:

• Remove all old bedding and droppings – right down to the bare floor.

• Clean the coop surfaces with a non-toxic disinfectant cleaner.

• Allow the coop to fully dry before adding fresh bedding.

• Choose an absorbent bedding material appropriate for local climate conditions.

• Spread the new bedding 3-6 inches thick – experiment to find ideal depth.

• Replace any dirty nesting box bedding at the same time.

• Dispose of old bedding carefully if disease was present. Or compost it safely.

• Monitor ammonia levels in the days after changing and adjust schedule accordingly.

Finding the Right Routine For Your Flock

When deciding how often to change chicken coop bedding, start by following general guidelines based on your specific situation. Then fine-tune your schedule according to the signs the bedding itself displays, your local climate, cleaning habits and preferences. Stick to a regular routine, but be flexible.

The most important thing is keeping the coop hygienic. But you also want to avoid wasting time and bedding material with excessively frequent changes. Finding the perfect balance takes some trial and error. The comfort and health of your flock are well worth the effort.

For most backyard flocks, planning to change the coop bedding weekly is a sensible starting point. Then monitor ammonia odor levels and how soiled the bedding appears. Increase frequency during hot weather or if housing lots of chickens. Decrease when possible in winter or with low chicken density. Employing best practices when changing bedding will help keep your flock healthy and productive. But being willing to tweak your routine based on close observation is key to coop cleanliness.

Yes, a dirty chicken coop can negatively impact egg production.