Nesting Box Bedding

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
You've got plenty of nests available for 13 hens, that's not a problem. We use hay in our nest boxes and pine shavings on the coop floor. The girlz love to rearrange the hay and make it into a cozy, soft nest for their eggs. It's easy to replace and relatively inexpensive. I have never had a problem with an egg cracking or with the hens eating it.

The hens that are laying on the floor will figure it out. A few of mine did that in the beginning but I think it's more accidental than intentional. They like to lay their eggs in a dark, private spot. In fact, if you don't have "curtains" on your nest boxes, you might find that they enjoy the privacy it provides them. I stapled up some leftover cotton material that I had and sliced it lengthwise to make it easier to get into the nest box. I think they appreciate the privacy it provides (but can't be sure, nobody's talking!).

 

[solidfreez]

Great replies! Thanks! I'll have to see about getting a bale of hay home in my car.

Has anyone tried putting any kind of a carpet or mat on the bottom of the nest box so there's still something soft after they scratch away all of the bedding? I was thinking I might go to the hardware store and see if I can get some free carpet samples or something like that.

 

[Mark & Nique]

Pine shavings -- very thick! Good luck!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
I haven't done that. When I collect the eggs, if there's a bare spot in the middle of the nest I just cover it back over with some more hay. I've never had a broken egg. I think I would worry that the carpet would harbor creepy crawlies (mites, etc.) and you could never really get them clean.

 

[gryeyes]

I would stay away from carpet squares. Ewww. Just another place to harbor mites and other nasties. Fill the boxes with a nice thick layer of straw or hay if you're using that. I use pine shavings in all of mine except the rear roll-away boxes, which have a plastic "astroturf" type of material in it to facilitate rolling the eggs away from the nest.

 

[woodmort]

I used pine shaving once when I rain short of straw and it was a mess--never again. I keep a bale of straw around and use that--the chicken eat some of it or at least it disappears and I readd it. Pile it in deep, they mash it into a nice nest and never a broken egg. The pine shaving are for the floor. BTW, if you can get it, use "clean" straw it has less seeds and dust, although the chickens love the oats.

 

[dieselgrl48]

I use plain hay for standard layer's and my bantam's a thin layer of hay on bottom covered with soft pine shaving's.I don't use straw I find it way to stiff for the girl's.I keep a slight bit of cedar on a couple of my concrete floor coops for odor with larger bird's and the duck's and No problem's.Hay bale is about the cheapest and easiest clean up way to go.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Oh and Adozen I LOVE your coop.I totaly love the little privacy fabric flap's you put up.Way too cute.I love It

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Thanks.

 

[jamieg]

I have 8 nest boxes and am new to the chicken business. I put pine shavings in 4 of them and straw in the other 4. The chickens only lay eggs in 2 next boxes(the ones with straw). I am sure the pine shavings work well too, but I prefer staw and so do my chickens.