Need help with our Nesting boxes

[JazzyLoo]

Our chickens are just starting to lay eggs for us. Our problem is, they are kicking the bedding out of the box and then laying the egg. Today one of the eggs were broken and we think its because it drops onto the bare wood. What does everyone use in their boxes that the chickens like? Thank you in advance, New chicken family

 

[DobieLover]

Our chickens are just starting to lay eggs for us. Our problem is, they are kicking the bedding out of the box and then laying the egg. Today one of the eggs were broken and we think its because it drops onto the bare wood. What does everyone use in their boxes that the chickens like? Thank you in advance, New chicken family❤

Do you have a lip on the front of your nest boxes?
I have a 4" lip and bed the boxes with chopped straw.

 

[mviera101]

I've used hay, I kind of swirl it around so their bodies fit. How big are your boxes and how much bedding are you putting in? How many boxes per chicken? Where in your coop are they (boxes) located? Chicken tend to have little peculiarities.

 

[JazzyLoo]

I've used hay, I kind of swirl it around so their bodies fit. How big are your boxes and how much bedding are you putting in? How many boxes per chicken? Where in your coop are they (boxes) located? Chicken tend to have little peculiarities.

Our coop is 6x6 with 5 nesting boxes and we have 8 spoiled chickens. Their is a small lip in front of the boxes but they are kicking most of it out while they are in the process of laying the egg.We put a nice amount of shavings in each box first thing in the morning Maybe I should try straw instead?

 

[kerbotx]

I use a nest liner, plus bedding - sometimes plain pine shavings, sometimes Flock Fresh from Standlee. I've purchased the liners from Amazon in the past, but you can also get them directly from Coops N More: https://coopsnmore.com/search?type=product&options[prefix]=last&q=nesting+box+pad

 

[JazzyLoo]

Do you have a lip on the front of your nest boxes?
I have a 4" lip and bed the boxes with chopped straw.

There is a small lip and some of the bedding is still in the boxes but most of it is pushed in each of the 4 corners with bare wood in the middle.

 

[mviera101]

Your coop is very nice you could try straw, its harder for them to kick out, and they are more nestled. I've seen others use privacy curtains .They get grumpy when they are disturbed while laying.

 

[JazzyLoo]

Your coop is very nice you could try straw, its harder for them to kick out, and they are more nestled. I've seen others use privacy curtains .They get grumpy when they are disturbed while laying.

Thank you! I wanted to give my daughter something to focus on when the pandemic started and she loves her chickens! Thanks for the help. I’m going to try the pads and some curtains

 

[RojoMarz]

My girls didn't like the nest pads that look like turf. With only hay, they were making the nest so that the back edge of wood was visible. And of course, that was were the eggs landed. We had cracked eggs quite often. I finally got the idea to gently lift the existing hay nest and slide the nest pad under, setting both down into the box. I then sorta worked the hay into the turf, keeping the nest shape. This has worked well. They will use them and no more cracked eggs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

A free option for nest padding: folded feed bags. Fold them to fit the nest tightly, then top with your nest material of choice. Even if they kick out a bunch of bedding it'll help provide some cushioning.