Substitute nest box beading?

[Lobzi]

I just cleaned out my nest boxes of the old, funky hay etc. I dont have any fresh hay for replacement so Im looking for suggestions. Would fine strips of news paper work? How about leaves? I wish I had hay but I just dont have access to any right now and I need to put together something for my two hens with week to few day old babies by tonight.
Any suggestions?

 

[Baybrio]

I think you could use just about anything with a little cushion (that is not toxic) as long as you put paper towels over the top for the babies. You could also use old towels but you will need to wash them

 

[PortageGirl]

Can you get some pine shavings from a pet store? that's what I use, though it's cheaper from the feed store.... If it's not being able to get to the store for now, then yeah, use some shredded paper! I would use some newspaper, but mix in some plain paper or paper towels too... or even dead leaves! I have hens who nest in the woods and believe me, they aren't fussy!

 

[Lobzi]

Thank you both for replying. I just made their nests with bay leaves. They smell so good and one of the hens were very interested in the leaves as I was taking them off the branches. Hopefully they will make the entire coop smell nice.

 

[tedabug]

I use pine shavings and top it off with dryer lint. Makes a great soft nest topper!

 

[Lobzi]

Dryer lint....how creative. I bet the hens and babies love it. I put an old tee shirt on the bottom below the leaves or hay or other nesting material. I figure that give them some extra insulation from the bottom.

 

[BoulderCityFoul]

I like the idea of the dryer lint too! We are currently using EcoBedding for our young hens. For now, I plan to use it in their nesting boxes too. It really hides the odors.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...-5400-DF11-9DA0-002219319097&mr:referralID=NA

 

[Lobzi]

I have not heard of ecobedding. One of my hen chose the box with bay leaves and a tee on the bottom but my other hen went for the tee shirt only box. Perhaps she is not fond of the smell of bay. She was the one who seemed so interested in my collecting the bay leaves. Perhaps she made her mind up at that point that she did not care for bay.