How often to change coop bedding?

[ErnieBerley]

Hi...i have a small Amish coop with about 8 chickens and 1 pekin duck... i use pine chips for the bedding/flooring. I will daily pick up the poop as best I can, put down PDX coop refresh and more chips...however, a friend told me i need to change the bedding out completely routinely as dust can build up and lead to respiratory issues. how do you handle your coop? thanks

 

[3KillerBs]

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.

For my coop and my flock that ranges between 6 and 12 weeks depending on weather.

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.

A thread from the last time I changed out the bedding: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/winterizing-coop-and-pen-nc-sandhills-version.1431885/

As of Tuesday, when I put a couple flakes of straw on top of the shavings, the bedding is as deep as it can go so I expect to have to clean it all out in about 2 weeks.

 

[Kirkwooder]

2-3 times a year for me. I have a large henhouse, 10' x 14' or so with 40+ hens sleeping in there at night. It gets fresh bedding every week or so to keep me, and the hens, from stepping in the manure. I fluff the bedding as needed too.

I read an article years ago about not changing out the litter too often. The litter develops beneficial organisms that kill fly larva, keep the smell down, and make heat all winter. I made the mistake of cleaning it out once and had nothing but issues for a while. I now let it build up to about a foot or so deep and only clean out half of the coop at a time. Seems to work well for me.

 

[3KillerBs]

BTW, this is the inside of the coop today, 7 weeks after it was last cleaned.

I didn't *really* need to add that straw on top of the shavings, but we'd bought a couple bales to use intact in the run and one came apart when the strings broke while DH was unloading it so I put it in since I had it handy.

I prefer shavings over straw because I find them easier to handle and longer-lasting.

 

[drinkoj]

I use poop boards (life savers) and clean them about every 4 days. My pullets were put into the coop and run at the end of June 2020, added 6 inches worth of pine shavings at the beginning, and for the first time added one bail of pine shavings to the coop on Monday (1/18/2021). We walk in our coop to clean the poop boards and to collect eggs that are laid in the coop, and never had an issue with dust, smell, nor respiratory issues. Lots of senior people on this forum don't change out the coop but once or twice a year and some even wait longer before changing. We'll change our coop bedding in April or May and put those used pine shavings into the run, as we do cold composting in the run.

 

[Alaskan]

2-3 times a year for me.

Same here...

But I have poop boards that get cleaned maybe once a month... depends on weather...

Way more often in summer, less in winter

 

[aart]

Coop bedding gets changed out 1-2 times a year...
.....but I also have poops boards with PDZ stall refresher that get cleaned daily.

 

[MissE]

I use the deep litter method. Its frozen from November to April so I just keep adding pine shavings til spring, and then clean it out. They don't spend much time in the coop in the summer, so I spread shavings as needed to keep things dry and clean again in the fall.

 

[K0k0shka]

I have a 5x7 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.

 

[Shezadandy]

Poop boards that are cleaned regularly and dusted with Sweet PDZ ... which my chickens treat like it's a drug and immediately- immediately dust bathe in. Some of them stalk me while I clean, waiting for their powder fix.

Pine pellets are on the actual coop floor itself - which absorbs moisture and then breaks down into another awesome dust bath medium - because half the year we've got mud outside.