What to layer the nest with?

JAZsMom

Songster
8 Years
May 29, 2014
130
5
136
Damascus, MD
I've got a couple months to go, but I'd love everyones opinions. I use sand on the floor of their coop, but Im wondering what to use for the nests when the time comes. Ive heard great things about wood shavings. I know lots of folks use hay, but ive also heard that can get real wet/moldy/etc. Thoughts, opinions, suggestions??? Thank you!
 
I tried straw and the chooks hated it. They prefer the pine shavings.

I even put the shavings down and straw on top...they emptied the whole thing. Now it's just shavings and they don't empty it out!

ETA
My coop floor is sand too...that may be changing soon though.
 
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I've experimented with a few materials for the nesting boxes. I found the straw got too wet and the nesting box floors then got wet. The wood shavings are perfect. Easy to clean, the chicken poop seems to dry out rather than getting soggy in there, and the nesting boxes are always dry and comfy for the chickens. :)

I have moved from long straw to shorter cut straw in the area in front of the nesting boxes (which is upstairs in the coop), and the chickens take some of that to add to their nesting boxes. Not sure if this is just because they spread it around as they scratch, or if they actually like the straw on top of the wood shavings, lol!

The floor of the coop is sand.
 
I use straw, works fine.

Don't let the cooks roost at night in the nests and you won't get nearly as many poopy nests.
Break them of that habit by putting them on the roosts after dark until they get the message and/or putting them out of the nests at roosting time.
 

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