Straw or Wood Chips for Nesting Boxes?

[rmonge00]

Do hens prefer wood chips or straw for their nesting boxes? I can either chip up wome branches with my chipper or scythe some of my grass for straw...

Thanks

Ryan

 

[gritsar]

I use hay, only because it's easier and cheaper to find around here than straw is. I just stuff it in the nestboxes and my hens do the rest; forming it into comfy little nests.

 

[cupman]

I'd go with the straw. Cedar can be harmful to birds, so if you do go wood chips make sure it isn't cedar. If you can find pine shavings I think those are the absolute best. It's fairly cheap too, a bag of pine shavings here is 6 dollars and it's enough to cover a lot of floor space.. my coop is 6x4 and 2 levels and I covered all 48 sq ft with probably 15-20% of the bag. Something to look into maybe.