What is the best nesting material for boxes?

[BJ37]

I am using wood shavings, and they get pushed out and most of the eggs end up on the wood floor. I am finding one broken one in about twenty, or so. I am wondering how high the front, or entrance do you use. I have a 1 X 4 across the front, with a 3/4 inch wooden bottom. That leaves the entrance about 2 3/4 inch above the inside floor, but the chips get mostly kicked out. How high is the entrance above the floor in your nest boxes, where chips seem to work? Will try to get some straw, and try that, however not sure when I can. Suggestions ?

 

[3chickchicks]

I have shredded junk mail in mine. I'm not sure how well it's going to work. The freeloaders haven't started using it yet.

 

[GuppyTJ]

I suggest using whatever you have available and/or what ever is the least expensive. In my case, I use straw that I get off my land. I have a 2 acre field of course grass and tall weeds that I bush hog with our Kubota tractor. I hand rake it and then haul the straw on a tarp which I pile up under a covered but open area of my barn. I use this straw to cover the floor of my 9 x 14 foot coop and when it gets soiled or damp, I put it in the compost pile and put down fresh straw. I also use this straw in my nest boxes. The hens seem to like it just fine.

It's free and just takes me a bit of sweat equity to gather. Because my coop is rather large, I don't want to have to pay someone for either wood chips or straw or hay or any of that. This would add up in expense rather quickly, I would think.

In the nest boxes, the hens never kick any of the straw out. Nor do they eat it. They have never kicked out any of the 6 fake easter eggs or real eggs out of the nest boxes either. I made my nest boxes out of a big plastic drum barrel I had on hand. I cut the barrel in half across the middle and used each end as a nest box. I put a black rounded top type garbage can lid on the top of each nest box to keep the chickens from climbing on them. The lip on the front of each nest box is about 6 inches deep, measuring from the lip to the bottom. The opening itself is 10 inches high by about 14 inches wide. I face the entrance to each nest box away from the light so it's relatively dark inside the nest box and with the black lid, it's pretty perfect for the chickens.

I also free range (no run, no fence, secure coop at night) and despite the infinite options for where the chickens could lay their eggs (in the forest, in the huge straw pile, under the tractor, in the dark corner of the barn, etc etc, etc!) they ALL lay in the nest boxes. So, despite the home made design, these boxes seem to work for the chickens. Also, because I free range, I spent time upfront trying to show my hens and my rooster that they were to lay the eggs in the nest boxes. Here are 2 threads on this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/837728/rooster-doing-a-jiggy-dance-for-the-hen
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/837586/newbie-waiting-for-eggs

So.... all this said, I'd suggest going with whatever nesting material you have either on hand or that is easiest and least expensive to get. I honestly don't think the chickens mind all that much either way. What they seem to care most about is if the nest box is in what THEY perceive to be a quiet, dark, safe place to lay their eggs.

Maybe more info that you were wanting but in any case, hope this helps!
Guppy

 

[TXchickmum]

We're unconventional. -use white towels in our nest boxes. The chickens love them!! -no mite/dust problems. -no messes. -just take them out and shake them/wash them once a week. If an egg gets broken, the towel is washed that day. It's reusable, doesn't produce mess, and very agreeble to the hens. -works for us! I found that the coastal hay would get dusty and pushed out of the nest box. Also, if an egg broke the hens would root the hay around and cover it from time to time. -wouldn't find the mess until ants were on the scene.

 

[Katt66]

I've got sand on the floor of the coop and a deep layer of straw on top of that as well as in the nest boxes and on the wooden shelf that encloses the top of the boxes. Everybody seems to love it. My little pullets burrow down into the straw at night as they have yet to gain enough confidence to try for a spot on the roosts I suppose. I've got only two laying right now and they both argue over who gets to use the one nest box first. This morning the latecomer decided to make herself a nest in the opposite diagonal corner of the coop floor rather than wait for the preferred box or use one of the other two. Because of this I am quite glad I have a layer of straw on the floor as well as in the boxes right now. Nobody eats it. They just burrow through it and make lovely little nests.

 

[shinefarm]

I have taken an old carpet and cut squares the size of the box and placed that on the bottom. This works as a cushion for the eggs. Then I use hay or straw mixed with shavings. If you cut your hay or straw to lengths of about 6-8 inches, the chickens are less likely to scratch it out.

 

[manga]

okays so when you say shavings what do you mean what kinda shavings do you use?

 

[happyhens1972]

I was thinking about shredding all our junk mail and using that. Will the ink be an issue? I didn't think about that until a read the post above regarding the soy based ink in newspapers.

My chickens live at the school where I work....we have 14 adults and 17 chicks ranging from 2 weeks to 8 weeks. I keep the chicks on woodchip as they are raised indoors in our school atrium for all the kids to enjoy and the woodchip looks clean and tidy and keeps the smell down. Once they go outside into the main coop, their houses and nest boxes are lined with the shredded paper waste produced by the school. This will be anything from scrap paper to photocopying, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, old work, ex-confidential files.....anything really. It all goes through the shredder and it all gets used in the coops.

I have done this for six years, ever since we first started keeping chickens and although they certainly do eat the odd bit here and there, I have never had it cause a problem of any kind and it also means there is no cost involved in their bedding as this is waste that the school would otherwise have to pay to get rid of anyway....we use it, then bin it in the normal waste.

 

[psnider1968]

I'm trying something new, I'm using dryer lint on the bottom of the layer boxes and hay over that. Any thoughts?

 

[petrel]

I use an astroturf door mat cut to fit in the next boxes. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Grassworx-10254603-AstroTurf-Cinder-Floor-Mat/22209975

I keep them sprinkled with DE and clean them with Simple Green every few months. I occasionally shake them out between washes.