They eat the hay!!!!

[joletabey]

Every time I line my nest boxes with hay, my Delawares eat the hay. Shavings in the nest boxes are kind of icky sticky. Any ideas, anyone? Or do I have to live with it? They started laying in early March, an use the next boxes 75 % of the time, otherwise its in the coop shavings or on the grass in the run.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

My Delawares drive me crazy with the way they scratch the litter out of their nest boxes. Hay was the worst for it. I filled them with pine straw and this slowed down a lot. Hasn't stopped, but it did slow down. None of the other tractors are as bad for scratching the litter out, but those Delawares...

.....Alan.

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

I'm having similar issues on the same schedule as joletabey. At first I think they were surprised to lay an egg. Eggs just popped out and surprised the whole flock. Nest boxes were a good source for straw but were otherwise unused. Once I moved them out of the greenhouse into the portable coup they started laying in the shavings inside. Once I put the nest boxes on the floor in the coop they stopped pulling out the straw and deposited in the boxes. They kicked the deep bedding out of the way and have a nice, private little place all to themselves.

Tinker until you figure out what they like. Tinker some more when they change their minds.