should I line my nesting box with HAY or STRAW?

[1newchickontheblock]

Or something else...? Thanks!

 

[MKKimmen]

We've always used Straw.

 

[CalebtheChicken]

I use straw.

 

[Laurieks]

whatever you have that's clean & soft.

 

[mamabigbird]

Try using which ever one you don't use for the floor covering. When I tried using pine bedding in their nests they started laying eggs on the pine bedding on the floor.

So I use stale horse hay from the barn.

 

[GermanChick]

I use "home made hay" aka dried grass clippings from mowing ......... We have quite a bit of land to mow so in some parts it gets quite long and that is what I use for bedding, not the super short kinda dusty stuff.

 

[Morgan7782]

Quote:
Thank you for this! I had been curious because I use shavings on the coop floor, but also in the nestboxes. And I could hardly tell where the boxes started because of the same bedding! I will look into cheap straw or hay.

 

[1newchickontheblock]

Thank you all! I, too, use shavings for the coop bedding, and felt the boxes should have something different....( I especially liked that idea of using dried grasses - way to recycle!!)

 

[BankerJohn]

I use an old plastic floor mat, the one used to wipe feet that have the plastic bristles. I saw this in a commercial coop lining the boxes. They are easy to hose off and air dry to then re-use them.

http://www.shindigz.com/party/Plastic-Grass-Mats.cfm

 

[woodmort]

Oat straw--with 8 nests a bale lasts about a year.