Nesting box material?

[ksohn79]

What do you use for material in your nesting boxes? I've read different things online and thought I would ask folks what they recommend?

 

[scooter147]

I like pine shavings. I find they are less likely to scratch them out of the nest like they do straw.
I have used leaves in the fall but they tend to fall apart quickly.
I've have used lots of different materials but I have found that pine shavings stay the cleaniest and definately stay in the nest box the longest.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We have a screen bottom on the nesting boxes. The wire mesh is pretty fine, but it does let too many shavings fall out. So we have put hay in the boxes, (yes, actual hay) and the girls seem to like it a lot. They make a big fuss of organizing it. Pretty cute. We don't have to replenish it all that often. It smells nice.

 

[K-9Dog]

i use straw and it works great! but that is me.

 

[WaterFowl209]

I have a planter that I fill up with grass and they seem to like it,it's the clay pot and I put it on its side.

 

[K-9Dog]

i too have hardware cloth on the bottom of my nest box and also under the roost - so that is why straw works better than the wood shavings/chips...

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

I just use wood shaving and that seem to work pretty well.....

 

[ksohn79]

Thanks everyone. We use wood shavings in the coop so I think we'll try them in the nesting boxes as well to start. Just got them built and we are going to put them in the coop this weekend : )

 

[Maverick Farms]

I like pine shavings. I find they are less likely to scratch them out of the nest like they do straw.
I have used leaves in the fall but they tend to fall apart quickly.
I've have used lots of different materials but I have found that pine shavings stay the cleaniest and definately stay in the nest box the longest.

We also use the pine...the girls will pick up pieces and rearrange the nest while they get ready to lay. I kind of recycle the pine by moving the shaving from nesting box to floor of coop and refilling the nesting boxes with fresh....I feel like I am getting double use that way.

 

[The Hen]

I just got my chickens a few months back and I use pine shavings on the floor and in their boxes. I have never tried straw or anything else. I thought the straw would be to hard to clean up the poop droppings. I figured the straw would need to be changed out often and i didn't want to spend a ton of money getting started w/ chickens. I also clean their coop in the am and pm with a dog pooper scooper and I like that the pine shavings are lasting me quite a long time. I put a bag and a 1/2 in the coop (you can see my pictures). the other half i keep to have as extra. i also recycle the floor and their box shavings.

Kellie