While pine chips are okay, they don't make good nesting material due to their inability to form an egg laying hole because the chips don't pack right. The best nest material is Timothy hay, no alfalfa because it's too flaky and not straw because the shaft is hollow and it does not aborb well. Timothy hay is perfect for builiding a really good nest with sides and a hole in the middle and it stays that way. A mixture of some pine chips and timothy hay is also good nesting material. Timothy hay is also very soft and easy for hens to form.
