Wool for nest boxes

[JacinLarkwell]

I've recently gotten into washing raw wool, and sometimes/most of the time there are bits that aren't worth washing at all, or end up not being worth using after washing.

Would they be safe to use as bedding? My birds don't really seem to peck at much besides their food (they even ignore bread and other human food a lot), and it should cushion broody eggs better than the dried grass I had been using.

 

[Jener8or]

I think I'd be inclined to use the scoured wool for nesting boxes, just so it doesn't attract anything "extra", but if it is fairly clean might be okay. I have wool all over the place after shearing and they don't act like they're gobbling it down. I would just make sure it's not too long of a staple that could tangle around their feet, but I haven't had that problem with it just being everywhere (I throw it all over the place for mulch.)

I think if you could wet felt some mats that you just compost afterward, it might work pretty well, too. (That might be a lot of labor, but what the heck?) In any case, I would just keep a look-out for entanglement or other issues, but wouldn't be hard just to bin it if it doesn't work, so I guess I could try too and report back, haha.

 

[Jener8or]

The broodies were not impressed. I'll let you know if they come out with knitted booties or something.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Booties for Broodies? Could that be a thing?.

Don't mind me, it's past my bedtime ....

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I can wash most if it (I'm also saving wool for mulching, so I can just save the unwashable bits for that.

I suppose I could always just save up a few ounces and make batts with the undesirable wool so it's like a matt. Im just trying to stop my broodies from cracking the duck eggs. I dont know what theyre doing to them, but a big percentage under multiple birds are getting cracked despite those hard shells

 

[Ridgerunner]

My concern with wool is that it has lanolin. Could that lanolin rub off and coat the eggs? Would it be a problem if it does? Can you remove enough lanolin by washing that it does not coat the eggs. I don't know the answer to this.

 

[Jener8or]

My concern with wool is that it has lanolin. Could that lanolin rub off and coat the eggs? Would it be a problem if it does? Can you remove enough lanolin by washing that it does not coat the eggs. I don't know the answer to this.

I was thinking about the lanolin, too. I'm not sure how it would affect the bloom. That definitely contributed to my thinking that scoured wool might be a little better to use.

 

[Jener8or]

I can wash most if it (I'm also saving wool for mulching, so I can just save the unwashable bits for that.

I suppose I could always just save up a few ounces and make batts with the undesirable wool so it's like a matt. Im just trying to stop my broodies from cracking the duck eggs. I dont know what theyre doing to them, but a big percentage under multiple birds are getting cracked despite those hard shells

Well I would think duck feet would be less of a problem to get tangled in (unless you have chickens hatching out your ducks!) I'll be interested to hear how the batts work if you try it. Maybe they will naturally felt into nice little mats. I'm not sure I put in enough to help with egg breakage, but I can try to add more to see how it goes.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Well I would think duck feet would be less of a problem to get tangled in (unless you have chickens hatching out your ducks!) I'll be interested to hear how the batts work if you try it. Maybe they will naturally felt into nice little mats. I'm not sure I put in enough to help with egg breakage, but I can try to add more to see how it goes.

Chickens hatching duck eggs.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I was thinking about the lanolin, too. I'm not sure how it would affect the bloom. That definitely contributed to my thinking that scoured wool might be a little better to use.

My concern with wool is that it has lanolin. Could that lanolin rub off and coat the eggs? Would it be a problem if it does? Can you remove enough lanolin by washing that it does not coat the eggs. I don't know the answer to this.

Once it's washed, it is pretty much like yarn lanolin-wise. A few washes and the dirt and grease is mostly if not all gone