Comfortable nesting box

[madison528]

I’m very new to having backyard chickens (1 week) and the coop we built has a nesting box at the top. We have three chickens, one is laying currently and I’ve noticed when she’s in the nesting box getting ready to lay it takes her a really long time to sit still and get comfortable. The box is made out of wood and has hay in it. Is it normal for them to be moving around so much and for a good 10 minutes prior to laying? Is there something better to put down in the box to make it more comfortable besides hay?

 

[TooCheep]

Welcome @madison528. Yes, fiddling around before settling in is very common. Part of it is reshaping the bedding into a comfortable bowl shape to sit in. Hay is a very good bedding, so you should be fine there.

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