What is the best nesting material for boxes?

[LUVMY5HENS]

I have seen shavings, straw, hay, combinations of these. What is the best?

 

[NonnasBabies]

I use hay. Works great for me!!

Missi

 

[MOChickenz]

I use straw. It seems to work ok.

 

[LUVMY5HENS]

Thanks for the answers! Do they eat the hay? Thats what I was thinking of using, but wondered if they would eat it.

 

[jojo54]

I like a combination. When I used just straw, the girls pulled it all into a nest shape and there was bare wood on parts of the bottom of the box and sometimes eggs would be broken. With just shavings it seemed to get flattened out too much and they have trouble building their nest shape. With the combination the shavings protect the eggs on the bottom and the girls can shape the straw to their perfection.

 

[NonnasBabies]

I've never seen mine eat any!!

I like the idea of the shavings and the hay on top. I don't care how much I fill the boxes up hoping that the bottom of the box does't get bare they still make it like that!!

Missi

 

[buzymom13]

I've used pine shavings since the beginning and it works great... seems not to bother my sons allergies as much either...

But intend to use some straw over the winter....

Between the two ....

 

[Yazzo]

I usually just use hay (the hens don't eat it), and it works great. I've used other stuff, but they seem to prefer hay or straw. Course, even stuff like dried weeds and shredded newspaper should work. Or you could experiment and discover some new nesting material! That would be pretty cool.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Mine kick out whatever I put in. Have tried pine shavings, sawdust, grass clippings. They seem to be happy when they get it all out. I'm using 10 gallon Rubbermaid boxes so not quite as hard as wood; so far no broken eggs.

 

[write2caroline]

I have hay in most of my nest boxes and I have pine shavings in another. The girls have all switched to the pine. So my girls have chosen deep pine over hay.
Caroline