What do you put in your nesting boxes?

[blbgp]

Do you need straw or are shavings enough?

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

their are a few different options. u can use shavings, exept they will kick them all out of their box. i just tried hay (straw), and it is working fine.

 

[BlackBart]

soft meadow hay, smells fresh and sweet

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

What if you don't live anywhere near a meadow?

 

[isabrownmom]

I use pine shavings but I think either is fine! For me the issue was making sure my roosting bars are higher than the nest boxes so they don't roost in the nest boxes and poop in them, making for very yucky looking eggs. My neighbor had 30 chickens, 15 nest boxes and ONE roosting bar lower then the nest boxes. Guess where all the poo was? The eggs were constantly a major mess when I would have to collect her eggs when she was gone. I usually just have to flick off a piece of shavings and stick them in the egg carton. For some reason my ISA Browns don't mess with the shavings in their nest boxes and they've never pooped in them!!

 

[BlackBart]

Quote:

local hay

 

[Mr_Jeff]

Hay is a feed crop. Straw is for bedding, it is a by product of harvesting. Not to mention straw is much cheaper than hay. As far as clean up goes, straw is much easier than shavings to clean out of a coop. I periodically throw in clumps of new straw for the birds to scratch in and use it in the nest boxes where it is made into a very nice bowl shaped nest by the hens.

 

[BlackBart]

in my area
local hay is $3.50 a bale
straw is $9.00 a bale
Thats why most people in my area, use hay, plus the chickens like to eat the seeds that are in the hay.

 

[txchickie]

Bermuda hay. I did use shavings, but they seemed to get kicked out and made a mess. We have tons of grass hay around for the other animals, so I just steal me a flake or two every once in a while.

 

[gritsar]

I use hay and love it. I get it from a neighbor for $3 a square bale. I can get it at the farmer's co-op, but it's $6 a bale there. A square bale last a long time.