What Do You Fill Your Nestboxes With??

[wolftracks]

Shredded paper here too.

I do add hay or chips, but they knock those out. I have one FBCM heen that refuses to have anything in her box. Won't lay on pads, carpet, nothing. She clears out one box. No one is laying right now and they pretty much are ot even going near the boxes, but once I started using shredded paper I haven't had to add as often and if I do, it's cheap. I had my daughter save me paper and if I knew the neighbors I guess I'd ask them too.

Right now I have to figure a way to do everything cheaper. Right after my husband died I went out and bought the shredder and it's the best 25 bucks I've spent in a long time.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
Hay works great!!!!

 

[moonlyghtegirl]

Pine shavings with a sprinkling of DE. I fluff it up if needed. But I have a covered run, and the nest boxes are in the coop in the covered run, I only clean them out when necessary, or usually once a month, whichever comes first. Thank goodness my girls don't ever poop much in the nest boxes. I also, knock on wood, have never had any lice or mite problems.

 

[kla37]

Straw and dried lavender.

 

[usschicago1]

I use Hay

 

[Tala]

I've used pine pellets, same as horse stalls or for pellet stoves (make sure they aren't treated though). Didn't get any at TSC lately, so I got a bag of crushed corn cob cat litter last time. They do kick some out, but not a lot. I only clean/refill the nest "as needed" since they generally don't poop there - every 3ish months on average is when the bedding level starts lookin a little thin.

 

[Mogli]

i use straw in the nesting boxes and for beding on the coop floor works good

 

[jockey1975]

I use pine shavings. It seems the eggs are cleaner and it stays in my nest longer and stays cleaner longer. I tried hay and wheat straw and it stayed in the nests about a week and the hens had cleaned it out. I have nine hens in one area that will not lay in the nests when there is hay and wheat straw but will lay in there when I use pine shavings. I rotated what I was using just to see and that is what happened.

 

[PepsNick]

Hay in the boxes, mulch on the ground.

 

[BlackBart]

winter- pine shavings
summer - hay