nest box material

[Montana cluckers]

I've had that problem too, and unfortunately sometimes they eat the eggs. I have tried straw and shavings, but I don't really like either one because some of my hens keep getting an impacted crop from eating it. I'm not sure what I'm going to try next. Maybe I should collect all of the dog hair from my black lab! lol

 

[vjbakke]

We use shredded paper, works very well.

 

[Tracydr]

I've never had problems with breaking, my shells have always been almost too strong, hard to crack the shells for frying eggs without goofing up and breaking my yolks. I've always fed lots of alfalfa, plus the egg shells back, plus of course oyster shell on the side. Seems everywhere I've lived has had a really high amount of limestone in the ground and water as well. I've had chickens for over twenty years in CO, OK and here in AZ.
Recently, I started adding clippings of rosemary, lavender and lemongrass for nesting boxes. Makes really nice nest material. I dont know why i thought of it but i do know that the herbs are supposed to deter parasitites like mites and lice. I also found it makes the coop smell really,really nice! Plus, I have huge amounts because they all three grow like weeds in my garden and need good prunings.

 

[papinator]

I recently had the same problem. I raised the front of my nest boxes, so they aren't able to kick so much of the pine shavings out. Now the eggs are nestled in the pine shavings, safe and sound

I have a few newbie layers, and they really LOVE to kick and scratch around in the boxes before they get comfortable to lay, so they were kicking the eggs right out of the boxes, but not anymore, I have about a 3.5 inch ledge on the fronts of the boxes. It seems to hold it all in pretty well, despite the kicking and digging!

 

[Ole rooster]

Sounds like the shells are just a little brittle. I use wheat straw and they love it. It's all in place they seem to like the sink down into it. I just don't know your answer.

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
you had sugar gliders? ooh.............I have always wanted those...but I don't have enough hours in the day to be with them!

I use a thick layer of pine shavings...and a wide board in front of the boxes + a curtain, they rarely push out the shavings...
maybe you can add some more calcium to their diet as well....gather them sooner....

 

[debid]

I have chopped straw in mine and they make a deep divot in the center that often means they are laying on nothing but the plastic bin. No cracked eggs here. Their shells are HARD, though -- I have to give them a solid whack to crack them myself.

 

[johnsons-r-us]

I have straw in some and pine shavings in some. My girls are laying in both types of bedding so I’ll keep giving them choices. They were kicking bedding out all the time but I think it was how our next boxes were designed. They didn’t have much of a front to them. We put a board over the bottom half of the nests boxes so they had to climb in. It seems to have worked as I was only getting one egg IN the nests before that (2 were in the straw and shavings on the floor), yesterday I had 4 eggs in the nests (and 3 nests were used for the 4 eggs)! And previously I was only getting 3 eggs a day….so somebody likes the new set ups. They don’t kick the bedding out anymore either.

 

[papeine]

thanks all of you for your replys... I don't think the alpaca fiber is the problem with getting less eggs.. I found two smashed today.. They have access to oyster shell.. I don't find eggs with cracks.. the ones I find are totally smashed. I think I will try some carpet or cardboard. Shaving, straw and grass clippings didn't work so well....

once again..thanks for the advice...

 

[Rosaleen]

Quote:
Me too...