Lining the nest boxes

[wundernurse]

What is the best material to line the nest boxes. I am thinking hay, but wondering if they will eat it??

 

[Judy]

I've used hay for a year as litter and in the nest boxes, no problem with their eating it, no crop problems. But some people have had this be a problem.

 

[sovia]

I ordered some of the excelsior nest box liners from eggcartons.com and I LOVE them! I ordered them because I wanted to increase my order to get some free shipping, but now they are a mandatory item for me. I really can't recommend them enough!

 

[emilyweck]

Straw's worked great for me so far.

 

[cmom]

I use spanish moss as it is so abundant here. One day after cleaning the coop and changing the moss in the nest boxes I was tired and put some hay in them. The girls kicked out the hay with eggs and all. I had several broken eggs on the coop floor with the hay, so now it's back to the moss. There are pictures on my BYC Page.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
You don't have problems with chiggers/redbugs in the moss? Do you treat the moss for them somehow? Do you use DE in your coop?

 

[digitS']

I think it is a good idea to line the nestbox with a cardboard box. That can just get tossed and replaced when it is soiled.

For nesting material, I've been using shredded paper without any problems lately but that's new to me.

Pine needles were a choice for years and I've used straw.

Steve