What do you put in your nesting boxes for nesting materials?

[binza1979]

I have been using wood chips for my nesting boxes, but they just kick them out. I want my eggs to be cushioned and protected from damage. I want something that can be cleaned easily too as my girls like to roost in the nesting boxes as well. I have one old hen that lays very fragile eggs and they get broken just be dropping out of her (yes, she gets extra calcium) onto the nest box. We have a bit of an egg eating problem because of the broken eggs. Thankfully they leave the unbroken eggs alone.

So, suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[sourland]

How big is the lip on your nest box? In my experience anything less than 4" is inadequate at retaining nesting materials. I love the smell of grass hay in the nests.

 

[binza1979]

Our boxes are only 12 x 12 inches, so could the gals even get in with a 4 foot lip?

 

[darin367]

i've got 14x14 nest boxes with a 2 inch lip..... i use hay, about 4 inches deep, they get in there and arrange the hay in a nice circular pattern.. almost looks just like a bird nest...... haven't heard a complaint in years......

 

[Nslangton]

I am anxiously awaiting our first egg. I have pine shavings stuffed inside a pillow case in our nest boxes. I made a depression in the middle so it is like a nest and added a golf ball to give them the idea. They can still arrange the shavings a bit, but the pillow case keeps everything in the nest box. I hope this works out for us. I read about people using t-shirts also. The pillow cases can just be washed and will hopefully keep the eggs from having anything stuck to them and still have drying capabilities. I'll let everyone know if this is going to work as soon as we get some eggs.

 

[CarolJ]

I use pine shavings. My nest boxes as 12 x 12 - and originally they had a 2-3 inch lip. However, they were kicking out most of the shavings. So I nailed another piece of wood across the front so the lip is more like 5 inches high. Even the larger hens get in and out of the boxes with no problem - but they no longer are able to kick all the shavings out. Works great!

 

[Red Barn Farms]

I built two sets of nesting boxes for two different areas where my chickens live.

This is the first one I made and I lined the floor bottom first with green indoor outdoor carpet. It's known as marine carpet. Then I just placed straw next. It's probably about 4" thick.


You can line nesting boxes with wood shavings, sawdust and shredded paper. I've used grass clippings. But again, it can become moldy. I've seen rubber mats that fit in the bottom of chicken nesting boxes. You get them from chicken supply places, etc. I'd think you could even take an old front door welcome mat, cut it to the desired size and use it! Just a thought. I stay away from hay in boxes as it can become moldy which is detrimental to the chicken's health.






The other box is just lined with 4" of straw too.