The best nest box bedding!!!!

[Breac]

I tend to use pine shavings. I've found that it's easier to scoop back in after the hens throw it out (It's going to happen with whatever material you choose regardless) plus if an egg breaks or a bird poos in pine shavings, the eggs tend to stay a bit cleaner than if hay is used. At least, that's my experience.

 

[NellaBean]

I've used both hay and shavings. A good lip on the nest box will keep whatever you use in (most of it anyways). No idea what my hens prefer, but I prefer hay. They seem to make a dent in the shavings and then sometimes are laying the egg right on the bottom of the nest box. With the hay, they tend to make it into a nice "nest" and there is plenty of "padding".

I overstuff the nestboxes with lots of hay, stick a wooden egg in the middle of each nest and let the girls do their thing.

 

[carolinasculpture]

We use the plastic nest liner things. No cracked eggs, very clean, and they roll out to the back where I pick them up.

 

[pdcttc]

Where do you find wooden eggs?

 

[txhomegrown]

?????

 

[packmomma]

You can find wooden eggs at Jo Ann fabrics in the craft area. I wondered the same thing but just happen to see them one day.

I use two things for my nesting boxes. My front lip does not have a gap at the bottom like the above picture. What my hens and I like the most is cut grass. I usually put it in between my garden rows. I have neighbors that also bring me bagged grass. I let it dry some, in the sun preferably, otherwise it molds. Once its dry I bag some in walmart bags and try to keep it for winter. My girls dont dirty the boxes all that much and they love how soft the grass is. I dont need to change them and then just add grass here and there as it gets packed down or if a hen scratches some out. I tried wood shavings and my hens all hate them. They dig them out and lay right on the bottom of the crates. I've had a few broken eggs because of this. Another thing we use is shredded paper. Where I used to work they shredded a lot of legal papers, they allowed me to bring them home and use them in my garden and in my coop boxes. The only thing I dont like about the paper is here and there it sticks to the eggs because they are a little wet when they come out of their..

Grass and paper shreddings are a good way to recycle!

 

[oconnorfamily25]

I use hay in the nest boxes.....but underneath the hay is a square from a messed-up rubber mat.....no eggs have broken yet!

 

[clio]

I use rice hulls in the nest boxes and on the coop floor (which gets mixed in with the dirt) ... I noticed my chickens love peck in the rice hulls, and like to dig into the rice hulls for their dust baths and to sit on the floor of the coop. The rice hulls in the nest boxes are easy to clean out ... I use a cat litter scoop daily to take out the poops from the night before as they sometimes roost on the edges of the nest boxes or as they roost, the poop falls onto the coop floor.

We've never had a dirty egg