Nesting materials

[Lammie]

My chickens won't accept straw into their nests. I want straw in there to make the nesting box cleaner, and to protect against accidental breakage. Used to be that my hens would make a nest in the straw. Now they kick it all out and just lay in the box. What happened? Got any tips on what to do or alternative nesting materials? I have tried straw, hay, excelsior, (I know I didn't spell that right. But it is shredded aspin bark we used to use at work to make swamp cooler pads). They won't have any of it. My boxes look like crap and they are hard to keep clean.

 

[bigbull338]

My chickens won't accept straw into their nests. I want straw in there to make the nesting box cleaner, and to protect against accidental breakage. Used to be that my hens would make a nest in the straw. Now they kick it all out and just lay in the box. What happened? Got any tips on what to do or alternative nesting materials? I have tried straw, hay, excelsior, (I know I didn't spell that right. But it is shredded aspin bark we used to use at work to make swamp cooler pads). They won't have any of it. My boxes look like crap and they are hard to keep clean.

try using shavings like you get at TSC or your local feed store.thats what i put in my nestboxes.

 

[mnmtranching]

My chickens won't accept straw into their nests. I want straw in there to make the nesting box cleaner, and to protect against accidental breakage. Used to be that my hens would make a nest in the straw. Now they kick it all out and just lay in the box. What happened? Got any tips on what to do or alternative nesting materials? I have tried straw, hay, excelsior, (I know I didn't spell that right. But it is shredded aspin bark we used to use at work to make swamp cooler pads). They won't have any of it. My boxes look like crap and they are hard to keep clean.

The only thing that works for me, that the hens aren't constantly scratching out, is dried chicken litter. Works great! try it. 8)

 

[dun]

We had some papermache bowls that I nailed own in the middle of the nest box. Worked great and when they got dirty I just ripped threm out an put in another one

dun

 

[TNTLivestock]

I had the same problem a year ago or so when the chickens kept kicking the straw out of the nesting boxes. Someone told me to put straw back in the boxes and then put several golf balls in each nest. I guess the reasoning was that if a chicken thought another chicken had laid eggs there, it would be a good place for hers. Dunno. It worked though.

 

[Lammie]

We had some papermache bowls that I nailed own in the middle of the nest box. Worked great and when they got dirty I just ripped threm out an put in another one

dun

Dun, my friend and mentor, you are brilliant. How'd you get so smart?

 

[Lammie]

I had the same problem a year ago or so when the chickens kept kicking the straw out of the nesting boxes. Someone told me to put straw back in the boxes and then put several golf balls in each nest. I guess the reasoning was that if a chicken thought another chicken had laid eggs there, it would be a good place for hers. Dunno. It worked though.

That falls to reason. I will give it a try.

 

[dun]

We had some papermache bowls that I nailed own in the middle of the nest box. Worked great and when they got dirty I just ripped threm out an put in another one

dun

Dun, my friend and mentor, you are brilliant. How'd you get so smart?

I managed to live long enough to get old, being cheap sure didn;t hurt either.

 

[Gale Seddon]

Now, wait a second, papermache bowl nests? Somehow, I just can't picture dun making these for hens.

 

[dun]

Now, wait a second, papermache bowl nests? Somehow, I just can't picture dun making these for hens.

Didn;t say I made them. They were one of the treasures we found when we moved to an old farm one time. Lugged them around for years before I finally found a use for them

dun