should i put straw in my chickens nesting box? the man at mole valley said we were wasting our money and the chickens will choke on it. what do you think i should do
Well, over the years I've stuffed a lot of straw in nest boxes and never had a hen choke on it. I actually prefer a nice grass hay for nest boxes, but it can be difficult to locate.
Pretty laughable, really. Millions of chickens, for hundreds of years have been bedded on straw and nested on straw. Feral birds like straw, pine straw, needles, bent grasses, etc, too. Chips, shavings, hay, straw, lots of choices. But choke on straw? Somebody better alert my hens.
They should tell my bitties about that one. The minute I put it in there coop they start scratching and eating it, no one has choked yet. I do use it in the nesting boxes more cushion.
Sometimes you will get a hen who likes to eat the straw and COULD cause crop issues, but I think this isnt all that common in general.... I always use straw and prefer it now..... I like to start them on straw so they are used to it from peeps!
