What do chickens like to nest in

[Tristan l]

Iam getting ready to set up the nesting boxes and was wondering what to use

 

[junebuggena]

I have found they will lay anywhere they think is a good spot. You can provide the most wonderful nest box setup ever, and they could still choose to lay on the floor right underneath the roost. My hens are young and still figuring things out. It can take several months for them to figure out that the nest box is for eggs, even with the dummy eggs in there to show them. The point is, don't worry too much about doing it the 'right way' or the 'wrong way.' All that matters is if the chickens think it's a safe and comfy place to put a potential baby. I have one hen that insists on laying in an old tree stump with shoots sprouting out of it with about a decade of leaf litter to sit on. She's completely shield from view when she's in there, and it's a pain to duck through all the stuff growing around it, but she has laid a perfect egg every day for the past week and she's only 20 weeks old.

 

[junebuggena]

I do have nest boxes in the coop, but only two of my 11 girls have shown interest in them.

 

[centrarchid]

Bowl-shaped and slightly elevated location that is againts something like a wall or clump of vegetation. They like to be able to see from that location.

 

[sunflour]

Here's a thread with ideas and pics of nests:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/185416/inexpensive-nest-box-ideas

 

[Tristan l]

What should I use as nesting material

 

[junebuggena]

Hay, pine shavings, sand, pine straw, leaves....The list can go on and on. You could even use old, shredded rags. They just need something that they can nestle into.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

What should I use as nesting material

If you intend to hen hatch chicks dry grass hay or wheat straw is best. If your only interest is an omelet, there are lots of things but pine shavings is probably the most popular with the hens' owners. As far as I know no one has ever asked the hens this question.

 

[chickenychicken]

Iam getting ready to set up the nesting boxes and was wondering what to use

Chickens like privite nesting boxes with soft hay or straw inside, they also like planters with straw inside because it's like a little nest that's a circle and is comfurtable for them. They also like corners and they may make a nest in a corner to.

 

[aart]

I like using a flake of straw, they can make nice bowl without spreading it all over the coop.
Holes offer some coziness(and they look cool) and depth keeps eggs and bedding inside.
In construction, one partition missing.


All my girls like it, rarely find an egg anywhere else, but I don't free range.