WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE FOR THE NESTING BOX; PINE SHAVINGS OR STRAW?

Which do you like and why. I use pine and feel it has lead to bare bums on my chickens! So I am thinking of switching to straw.

Any input on the Straw choice would be helpful to me. Thanks

I use hay. If an area of grass needs seeding from chickens tearing it up I've got the hay on hand at all times. Makes for a nice nest too. Can pick up the entire thing with ease when changing out because it mattes together.

GretaGarboFirst said:

Which do you like and why.

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Nest boxes
In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). 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.

I use straw. The hens like to make a round nest in it. It holds its shape and it absorbs moisture. By keeping the straw thick and clean I get cleaner eggs.

We've always used straw. Keep it clean and it works very well.

I use both at the same time. I had both on hand so it was no hardship to try both and it works well for me. If i didn't have both on hand i would have just used shavings.

I use a thick layer of pine shavings as insulation in the whole coop including the nest boxes. I place about 3-4 inches of shavings in the bottom of the nestbox's then i add straw on top the shavings. Just enough straw that it can be made into a nest shape around the outer edges of the nest, the shavings are visible in the center. If the nest gets messed in i generally only have to toss out a small handful of shavings. It makes for a nice soft nest. I have never had eggs crack because they have been dropped on a hard surface.

Now i know i don't really have to add the straw but I have it on hand and I found that if i don't put straw in all the boxes the spoiled hens will only lay in the boxes with the straw in them unless all the boxes with straw are already in use.

I raised a batch of chicks this year that slept in a nest box until they got old enough that their voices started changing (14 weeks). They would only sleep in a box WITHOUT straw in it. Made it easy to keep the eggs clean and i didn't have to clean the box out everyday.

I also have "something" that gets into the coop and steels eggs on occasion. Sometimes its the golf-balls that get stolen. If i have only straw in the coop and nests they seem to tunnel under the straw and come up under the eggs. The egg can sometimes be found inside the tunnel under the bedding a ways away from the nests. And whatever it is reuses the tunnel steeling an egg every day until the tunnel is torn out. That doesn't seem to work as well with the shavings because it collapses too easily. So i get more of the eggs using shavings.

We use hay. You could try putting straw in one box and letting your chickens decide which they like best.

We use hay, have used shavings too, but prefer hay. They seem to like kicking it around to build their bowl, and I line em sometimes with dried green cuttings from the lawn.

Thanks for your ideas......let us know if you discover who the little critter is!!! He certainly is loaded with protein.

I use straw in my nests and have never really had any issues. I fill a dish tub with the straw and they make it into a nest if an egg breaks I just remove the straw clean the tub and replace it.