What kind of nest pads do you use in your rollaway boxes?

[jmc]

What size are they?

Where did you get them?

Astroturf 'make-your-owns' could get pretty messy. The store bought kind seem better.

?

tx

 

[Davaroo]

Most people that use rollaway nest boxes use that rubbery foam, shelf liner material. The boxes often have removable bottoms for cleaning, too.
Ensure that the egg collection trap has this stuff in it too so the eggs have a cushioned "landing spot."

 

[gryeyes]

My rollaway nest boxes use the commercial, grey, directionally prickly nest pads. One under the chicken, one on the " raceway" and a slice of one as a bumper. The other slice is used as the bumper in the second nest; mine is a two nest box.

I got mine through FarmTek, but they are cheaper other places. Opa mentions where in his rollaway nest box thread.

 

[jmc]

Quote:
Yeah, he mentioned Cutler's supply. It's just that the lousy pic in Cutler's catalog leaves me wondering whether the stuff they have NOW is the stuff Opa used THEN.

I guess I'll pm him............

thanks to you

AND, may I ask, do you have an angle (2:12 ? ; 3:12 ?

that you have found good for you? I realize I could just estimate and do something right off the bat; but common sense indicates that I ask someone--like YOU--who apparently has a good 'pitch' to their 'raceway'!

thanks again, gry......

 

[gryeyes]

In one side/nest, I have the block holding up the floor 3.5 inches, and in the other side, 2.5 inches. I THOUGHT the hens wouldn't like the steeper pitch, but I was wrong. Sort of. I get sleepers in the lower pitched box and the girls lay their eggs in the box with the steeper pitch!

Now, as to degree or ratio, I couldn't say. I built the nest box from Opa's original, shorter raceway design.

 

[jmc]

Quote:
thanks, linda. i'm all set.

 

[roosterndad]

I built the rollaway nest boxes Like OIpa's, but with a slightly steeper slope. I bought the nest pads from Cutler, but they are not directional. As you can see on their webpage each little set of bristles is a clump that goes straight up. This causes some of my eggs to hangup inside the nest rather than rolling down, even at the steeper slope.

Does anyone know where to still buy the "directional" pads?

Or, what alternatives can you suggest?

Does the astro-turf type material work?

 

[dewey]

I picked up those slightly padded plastic (table) place mats at the dollar store & cut them to size for my regular nests. They're cheap, easy to clean, and last a very long time.