How often do you freshen nest boxes?

[thecatumbrella]

I'm a bit mite paranoid with my feather-footed birds (who already managed to get scaly leg mites), so I've been freshening weekly. Would love to be convinced to go longer in between full cleanings. I use a plastic nest pad, covered in large flake shavings. Everything is liberally dusted in First Saturday lime. The girls have been very good about not sleeping/pooping in it.

Photo just for fun.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Monthly. I use ground hemp, which is pricey, but lasts and lasts, especially if I don’t have to poop clean it.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Monthly. I use ground hemp, which is pricey, but lasts and lasts, especially if I don’t have to poop clean it.

I'm using hemp in the droppings tray, but I refuse to put it in the nest box. Mine will NOT STOP PLAYING IN IT! It's like catnip or something. Maybe once they grow up a little more. Yeesh. But otherwise, I'm a big hemp advocate as well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've never had any kind of mites or lice with mine. I'm not sure how your experience with leg mites might affect your decision.

Some of my nests have a solid wooden floor. Some have a 1" hardware cloth floor so stuff can drop through. For bedding I cut tall grass from places I don't usually mow or weed-eat and let it dry. Sort of like straw but finer and more delicate. When they go into the nest to lay an egg they scratch a lot, making a bowl-like depression to form a nest. That scratching will eventually shred the bedding into bits so I top off with fresh bedding when I need to. I generally do not remove the old, just toss some more on top.

I clean mine out after a broody hen hatches in the nest, if an egg gets broken in the nest, or if one poops in there. Basically, when something makes a mess in there. I toss the messy stuff in my compost pile.

 

[rosemarythyme]

1-2x a year is enough for me - if the nests don't get soiled I only completely empty if during annual clean out. Might have to top it off a couple times in between when they kick out too much bedding but they also add feathers and sticks which helps make up for it.

 

[Debbie292d]

1-2x a year for us too. We have horse bedding pellets in ours, and they keep them stirred up.

SLM is just something we deal with about every two years. We keep the mites and lice out via diatomaceous earth, so have never had mites or lice, but that doesn't work on SLM.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

I've only been cleaning weekly because we currently have earwigs living in the nest boxes. I put down DE early morning after emptying it and before the girls go in spray it down very well and dry it before putting back in the previous shavings. I don't want to caulk the cracks since it works as a water drain for when I do spray it down and scrub (because I like to not have poop on the walls but my girls love flinging a wet one right on up). Mites hide in the flat cracks of your coop, less so the bedding. A couple weeks ago there was a good coop guide which ended up being centered about mite-proofing their coop. I'll link it back here when I find it.

 

[Altairsky]

I clean them whenever I see poop in there. If I can't see poop but I get poopy eggs, than I clean. It can be anywhere between once every 2 months or once every 2 days.
I have many broodies so poopy nests from chicks are common issue in my coop during summer.