What's the BEST Nest Box Material?

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TheBantyCoop

TheBantyCoop

Songster
Jun 9, 2015
313
135
146
The California Coast
I've had a lot of luck with aspen shavings in the past few months, but I would like to learn what other people use! I am particularly interested in using some herbs in my boxes, would this be beneficial to the birds?
Let me know :)

-El
 
leaf litter from under a tree.

wood chips are probably best for beavers and woodpeckers. Chickens are instinctively into leaf litter for some reason.

Leaf litter is also awesome in a brooder, especially a big event for the chicks when it is first put in. You'll never see the chicks so excited and busy,
 
GodofPecking said:
leaf litter from under a tree.

wood chips are probably best for beavers and woodpeckers. Chickens are instinctively into leaf litter for some reason.

Leaf litter is also awesome in a brooder, especially a big event for the chicks when it is first put in. You'll never see the chicks so excited and busy,
Click to expand...

Yup, sounds like it would be a great nest box material. Makes sense that it would feel more natural!

But I have pine trees...... (no leaves and very dirty, but I just started using the needles as a bedding on the coop floor :)

+Love your profile pic by the way! Reminds me of my lil' fro when she was little ;)
 
Last edited:
Hokum Coco said:
Nest boxes
In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³ and the bag runs up the sides and the back a few inches). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new.

Feed bags are a nylon mesh bag.
Frozen poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off in summer when left out in the sun to bake and dry.

I have 65 trips around the sun it is the best method I have stumbled upon.

Make sure the twine is removed from the open end of the bag it can get tangled around your birds.

Click to expand...

Thats a cool idea :)
Thanks for the picture!
 
We use wood shavings purchased from the Co-op. It works great. I tried adding herbs once, lavender so it would smell nice. They would scratch all the wood shavings out of the boxes looking for the lavender. No longer put any herbs in the nest boxes but toss some in the coop once in a while.
 
Huge fan of dried grass. In my case that means hay. It's a natural nesting material that beds together, if soiled I flip it over. Actually can be flipped back and forth a few times and eggs stay clean. Unless you've a bird roosting in the nest very little soiling goes on so by the time it needs a flip the other side has dried and most flaked to bottom of nest box.

Basically I use what is cheap and on hand. Hay we use in winter for ice cover so there is always a open bale on hand and first cut hay aka mulch hay is cheap. Seconds as your seed and mulch if the birds tear up a spot in your yard too. I use pine shavings in the coop.
 

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