I think it may depend on whether you have a small, prefab coop you can't get into, or a larger walk-in type, the kind I call a hen house. We have a hen house. My DH works at a bank and we don't own a truck. So he brings home big bags of shredded paper which we use for bedding. It's great! It's free and easy to handle, and there's an unlimited supply. It doesn't smell, mat or pack down, and it doesn't breed bugs. Plus it's good for the planet. We keep a thick layer of this on the floor and also use it in the nests. It dries out the droppings so there's no smell and no mess. We clean it out about once a year, using a horse "apple picker" for the paper, then a broom for the dried poop and dust that remains. Then we compost it.
I frequently mention "locally available materials", this is a great use of "situationally available materials".