Pine shavings are the most commonly used wood bedding in chicken coops, and for most backyard flocks they work well enough, though they aren’t without drawbacks. Cedar and black walnut shavings should be avoided entirely. Aspen falls somewhere in the middle. The real answer depends on understanding what makes certain woods problematic and how you manage whichever bedding you choose.
Pine Shavings: The Most Common Choice
Pine shavings are what you’ll find at nearly every feed store, and they’re what most chicken keepers reach for because they’re cheap and widely available. A bundle from Tractor Supply typically costs around seven dollars and can cover an 8×10 coop. For many flocks, pine shavings work fine in practice, especially kiln-dried varieties where the drying process reduces the concentration of aromatic compounds.
That said, pine does contain natural volatile compounds, the chemicals responsible for that familiar pine smell. These aromatic extractives can irritate respiratory systems and have been linked to liver cell damage in lab animal studies. The concern is real but dose-dependent: fresh, heavily scented pine in a poorly ventilated coop is a very different situation from kiln-dried shavings in a well-aired building. If you go with pine, choose kiln-dried shavings (not raw sawmill shavings), keep the coop ventilated, and avoid letting bedding get damp and ammonia-heavy.
Cedar Shavings: A Clear No
Cedar is the one wood nearly everyone agrees you should avoid. It contains the same types of aromatic compounds as pine but at much higher concentrations, plus an additional toxin called plicatic acid. This combination makes cedar significantly more irritating to a chicken’s respiratory tract and liver than pine. The strong cedar scent that makes it popular for repelling insects in closets is exactly what makes it dangerous in an enclosed coop where chickens are breathing it in constantly. Skip cedar entirely.
Black Walnut: Toxic and Dangerous
Black walnut shavings or sawdust should never be used as chicken bedding. Black walnut trees produce juglone, a compound found in the wood, leaves, bark, and fruit. Juglone is a strong respiratory toxin even in small amounts, and using walnut sawdust as animal bedding has been documented to cause serious health problems. If you mill your own lumber or get shavings from a local woodworker, make sure black walnut isn’t mixed in.
Aspen Shavings: Safer but Not Perfect
Aspen is often recommended as the “safe” alternative, particularly in small animal care where it’s the default bedding for hamsters and rats. It is considerably less toxic than pine or cedar. However, aspen isn’t completely inert. Studies have found that aspen shavings can still cause some degree of liver cell damage and have been associated with respiratory issues and lung damage in animals, just to a much lesser degree than pine and cedar.
Aspen shavings tend to be harder to find and more expensive than pine, which is why most chicken keepers don’t use them. If you’re concerned about aromatic toxicity and want to stick with wood, aspen is the better option. But it’s worth knowing it isn’t a completely risk-free material.
How Dust and Moisture Create Problems
The wood species matters, but so does the physical quality of the shavings. Fine, dusty shavings of any type are harder on respiratory systems. Poultry dust, a mix of bedding particles, dried droppings, feather dander, and feed dust, is a recognized respiratory hazard. Chickens that spend time in dusty, enclosed spaces are more prone to coughing, wheezing, and chronic respiratory irritation.
Moisture is the other major concern. When shavings get wet and stay wet, they become a breeding ground for bacteria and ammonia buildup. Damp bedding raises the risk of bumblefoot, a painful staph infection on the foot pad, along with respiratory infections and frostbite in winter. Whatever shavings you use, keeping them dry matters more than the species of wood. Stir or turn the litter regularly, replace wet spots around waterers, and make sure your coop has adequate airflow overhead.
Managing Wood Shavings With Deep Litter
The deep litter method is the most popular way to manage wood shavings in a coop. Start with 4 to 6 inches of shavings on the floor. Rather than cleaning everything out frequently, you stir the bedding regularly and let beneficial microbes begin breaking down the droppings. As the material decomposes and compacts, add fresh shavings on top to maintain the depth. When the litter reaches about 12 inches, remove most of it but leave a couple of inches on the floor to inoculate the next batch with the microbes that keep the process working.
This method generates a small amount of heat in winter, helps control ammonia when managed properly, and produces compost you can use in the garden. It works best with coarse, large-flake shavings rather than fine shavings, since bigger flakes allow more airflow through the litter and don’t compact as quickly.
Hemp Bedding as an Alternative
If you want to avoid wood shavings altogether, hemp bedding has become a popular option. Hemp is far more absorbent than pine, controls odor well, and doesn’t contain the aromatic compounds that make softwood shavings problematic. A single 33-pound bag can last some coop owners over a year, depending on flock size.
The tradeoff is cost. Hemp bedding is significantly more expensive per bag than pine shavings. Whether it’s worth it depends on your priorities. If you have a small flock and a smaller coop, the higher absorbency means you use less material and change it less often, which can offset some of the price difference. For larger setups, the cost adds up quickly.
Quick Comparison of Common Options
- Kiln-dried pine: Widely available, inexpensive, adequate with good ventilation. Aromatic compounds are a concern in raw or green pine.
- Aspen: Lower toxicity than pine, harder to find, more expensive. A reasonable choice if you want to reduce chemical exposure.
- Cedar: Avoid. Too many toxic volatile compounds for enclosed coop use.
- Black walnut: Avoid completely. Juglone is a potent toxin.
- Hemp: Highly absorbent, no aromatic toxins, but significantly pricier than wood shavings.
For most backyard chicken keepers, kiln-dried pine shavings in a well-ventilated coop remain the practical standard. They’re affordable, easy to source, and work well with the deep litter method. The key is buying kiln-dried rather than green shavings, maintaining good airflow, and staying on top of moisture. If you want to minimize any chemical risk and don’t mind spending more, aspen or hemp are both solid steps up.