Nesting box

I've used hay, straw, shavings, and grass clippings. I've also just scooped the deep litter off the floor of the coop and used that.

If you use grass clippings, you'll need to spread them out to dry first. Wet clippings generate heat and get moldy and that's just gross and can make your birds sick. Just spread them out a bit for a day or so and they'll be good to go. I put mine right in the run and let the girls pick them over, then rake/scoop up what I want to use in the nest boxes.

Shavings do fine. I've had a little bit of sticking, but it's really no big deal. When the bloom dries you just peel the piece of shaving off, no harm done.

Honestly, you could use dirt or sand if you have nothing else. Hens are more than happy to lay on the ground, they did that for thousands of years before folks started building them nice tidy boxes in which to lay
smile.png
. No different to use that same material in the bottom of a nest box.
 
I started out using a finer type dedusted, bagged straw (allergies) for the nest boxes and coop.
But I found the straw got dirty fairly quick and the girls tracked mess from the floor into the nest boxes.
I moved to shavings on the floor and a 50/50 mix of shavings/straw for the nest boxes.
It was perfect for staying clean and holding in place in the boxes.

But I've since switched to shavings for both nest boxes and coop because every time I need to spread a thin layer of shavings on the coop floor...I bed with the nest box shavings and refill the nest boxes with clean shavings. I didn't like any straw on the floor.
My eggs stay completely clean with this method.
(As long as I don't have broody hens...lol)
 

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