Nesting Boxes

[Hinksy]

Nesting Boxes..

What do people use to line their nesting boxes, have been using brown paper and laying some straw and woodchip on it but it just seems to get dirty very quickly and I find myself scrubbing the wood bottom of the nesting box nearly on a daily basis. What do other people do? is it worth buying plastic insert nest boxes or lining the inside with something else?

Have had a look about on the internet and found one person using fake grass to line the nesting boxes, looked good but would that actually work and be practical?



Anyway we got our first egg yesterday in 3 weeks since getting the Chickens so they must be happy.

[kirsty b]

I use the big green plastic crates that the online shopping comes in. One day I asked the driver if I could keep a couple and he obliged!

Fill it with either bed down (a mixture of wood shavings and chooped straw), straw, or hemcore. Really depends what feed store I happen to be at when I buy the bedding.

[MaureenHall]

I use Hemcore, but the girls don't sleep in the nest boxes so they don't really get poo-ey

[OverWyreGrower]

I just put loads of straw in mine, as they don't really poop in them. The whole shed gets cleaned out 3 times a week, but it depends on how bad the nestboxes are - sometimes it might only be once a week

[Nicos]

My nest boxes are cardboard boxes with part of the side cut out and shavings inside.
I chuck them out every few weeks and start afresh.

[RichmondHens]

Why are the nest boxes getting dirty in the first place? If the hens are sleeping in them then chuck them out! I won't tolerate my hens sleeping in the nestboxes and if anyone tries it they get pushed out unceremoniously into the main part of the hen house. They soon learn. I can't/won't sell eggs that have poo on them! As long as the nesting material is clean then the box should stay clean too. OK, on wet days a bit of mud will come in on birds' feet but that's about it.

[Hinksy]

Only had them 3 weeks and they all seem to huddle together in the one nesting box, I did wonder if perhaps I needed to add some more roosting bars and maybe raise them as the current ones are only just above the nesting boxes.
They all seem happy enough though and we even got our second egg today from them,

[RichmondHens]

I'm sure they are very happy. But if you want clean eggs and nestboxes then you must discourage them (very firmly) from sleeping in the nestbox. Go out after dark when they are all dozey and put them on the perches. You will need to repeat this several days in a row, after which time they should get the message. There will always be one who tries it on but persist. It will save you a lot of extra cleaning in the long run. Unless you have a very early layer it may be worth blocking off the entrance to the nestbox with a bit of cardboard pre bedtime which you can whip out when you open up in the morning.

[Hinksy]

Thanks for the advice, think I will try going out late at night and putting them pn the perches until they get the message, if it comes to it I will block the nest boxes up.

[Bramble-Poultry]

i use 185x55xR14 tyres for the turkeys! just lay them on their sides and fill with straw and they are off and away!

perhaps you could use something smaller (mini tyres) for your chooks!

[Hinksy]

Mini Tyres! hmmmm there's a bloke down the road with a mini, might have to so another mid'night raid...

Have found some great looking plastic nest box inserts with build on perches on ebay which i'm thinking might be the answer.

Up to 6 eggs now in 4days so all seems good considering it's only been just over 3 weeks since we got them.