What do you put in your nest boxes?

[Lazy Farmer]

but I'm wondering what material y'all use in your nest boxes.

I breed swine & raise goats-so what ever type of hay is lying around in the barn. Chickens aren't picky. Just whatever you use, change it very regularly so you aren't regularly cleaning your eggs.

 

[Shezadandy]

I got sick of all my nesting material being tossed out... so now each box has a 1/4" rubber mat (like the kind that you can buy by the foot in a 30" roll at the feed store- super easy to cut) - it's pinned down by a board, and if they make a big mess- broken egg, babies sleeping in the boxes and pooping, etc., I just unscrew the one board, wash it up, and voila, ready for more abuse. It makes a nice cushion - and keeps things smelling much better than exposed plywood- which will absorb all the icky and just reek after a while.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

i put hay on the bottom, then cut a piece of plastic hardware cloth to break the fall of the egg, then on top of that some straw and pine shavings, my girls rearrange the material in the boxes, they all like to use the same one, once i found 3 girls in one box singing the egg song....i used golf balls, i recently got as a gift some of those ceramic eggs, the girls did not like them and kept rolling them out of the nesting box...they were like "THESE EGGS ARE FAKE, THEY ARE NOT ONE OF OUR EGGS!!" SO FUNNY

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

i have 2 sets of nesting boxes, one set inside the coop and one outside the coop....they like the one outside the coop cause they can see whats going on outside......but if they want to have some alone time they use the one inside the coop, both sets always have eggs in them every day!!!!

 

[Stockpilejoy]

I now use plastic nesting pad as bottom liner with lots of Hemp bedding material on top. I originally just used plastic nesting pads but my new adopted girls did not like them. They love the added Hemp material and have dipped out center making them more comfy & cozy when laying.... Plus it's very absorbent, low in dust, and earth friendly.

 

[Kota Mitera]

Soft hay ... but they like almost anything. Shredded paper works too.

 

[jolenesdad]

I used to use hay, and then I had a hen get an impaction from eating the hay in the box.

Now I use a layer of sand topped with shavings.

 

[puppymamma]

I tried foam, fake grass, shavings, and straw. My girls seem to like the foam the best. Of course their ultimate favourite is an open bag of shavings

 

[Secondof9]

I use shavings and it works well. A friend of mine uses only straw because she says it keeps the eggs cleaner - the straw doesn't stick to the eggs and I must admit wood shavings sometimes do stick. Not really a problem because it wipes off easily. I also have a compost tumbler. It works beautifully!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

DH works in an office and can get an unlimited supply of shredded paper, and the hens and I both love it! It's free, clean, easy to transport, amazingly absorbent and seems to last forever. The nests stay clean and dry, bugs don't like it, it's lightweight when time to change it out (about once a year, seriously, if that!). It doesn't smell or compact and dries quickly if it gets wet.