Nesting box

[Strategic Chicken]

Hi. I have three 15 week old pullets. They are soon going to lay eggs and i need to prep the nesting box. What material should I use for it? Pine shavings? Straw? Should I also put curtains in there for privacy? Thank you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Use whatever nesting material is convenient for you, overall the chickens don't seem to mind.

Curtains can help is some set ups but aren't necessary in most cases, really depends on how open your boxes are. I've never used them. To me they'd just be something else to clean.

 

[Isabella6Storm4]

They will most likely have an easier time scratching shavings out of a box then they will hay or straw. Shavings are also harder to clean out depending on the box design. Thats just my experience. Use whatever is easiest for you

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile, people can give better-targeted advice when climate matters.

Anything that cushions the hard bottom of the nest can work. Shavings and straw are the most popular but there are also a lot of people who use hay, hand-harvested long grass from their yards, and commercially-made nest pads among other things (I personally don't like shredded paper because it sticks to the bloom on the eggs, but some people use it).

Use whatever is locally available at a reasonable price.

Then expect your Point-of-Lay pullets to kick it all out of the nest as they explore and attempt to figure out what their strange hormones and instincts are telling them. It's not that they don't like the material, it's just that they're teenagers who don't understand what's happening to them.

Make sure that you've got a good lip on the boxes and refill them as needed.

In re: curtains,
I'm in the "just something else to clean" camp, but many people like them so put them in if you want to or don't bother if you don't want to. The chickens will be happy with any nest boxes that seem cozy, secure, and safe -- and they're a lot less fussy than the humans are.

P.S. in re: nest eggs,
I like golf balls for nest eggs because I can tell them from real eggs by touch when reaching under a broody. Anything roundish and about egg-sized will do from fancy realistic ceramic eggs to kinda-egg-like rocks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know what your nests look like but I'll include these links to show what some people have done. My purpose is to show that no matter how hard some people work to create rules there really aren't any that you have to follow. There are many different things you can do. In some cases one may work better than another, but you never know when that will be. It's up to the individual hen.

Nest boxes
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41108/show-us-your-nest-boxes-ingenous-design-post-it-here/220

Nest Boxes
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-your-creative-nesting-boxes/80#post_12395882

People use different bedding for their nests. Some things that people have used are wood shavings, wood chips, straw, hay, Spanish moss, shredded paper, sand, feed bags (plastic and paper), rags, and carpet to name a few. I'm the one that cuts long grass from places I don't mow or weed eat and dry it. I have no idea what will work best for you. My suggestion is to try something that is convenient. If you don't like it, try something else.

Some hens can use nests that are not much more than shelves, practically no lip around the nest. Others scratch bedding, fake eggs, and real eggs out of the nest as they are shaping it to form a nest. I personally like a nest with a lip of 4" to 5" to help keep the bedding and eggs in. I don't like finding eggs on the coop floor but some people don't have that problem. As I said there are no rules, but sometimes you have to try something different.

 

[Quadzilla32]

Any suggestions for making hens lay in the NB? I have four hens that just started laying two of them consistently lay in the boxes while one laid her first time in the box then moved to the coop floor and dug a nest in the shavings and started laying there. Some of the other hens have started to take interest in her digging and are doing the same. I would like to discourage laying on the floor and move the layers into using the nesting box.

I have 6 laying age hens and 3 NB. Right now I have fake looking soft grass mats in each box and thinking of adding some shaving into them to try and lure the one hen in. The first and only time she used the box she picked up pieces of shavings and threw them into the box so I'm guessing she likes the feel of the shaving and building a nest.

 

[aart]

Right now I have fake looking soft grass mats in each box and thinking of adding some shaving into them to try and lure the one hen in.

Might work.
Do you have any fake eggs in the nests?
Might need to block the place on the coop floor where she's been digging and laying by putting a bucket or box or something there.

 

[Wot The Flock]

Quadzilla, also make sure it is easy (sometimes not too high) for them to get to the nesting boxes. Having said that, I have a new batch of pullets (6-8mo) that were used to going really high to the nest area, and were not happy with their temporary boxes on the ground in the shaded run (still not integrated into the flock yet), so it's all temporary, and only for a few more days probably.

Plastic grass can be a bit harsh/scratchy. I have opted for some closed-cell foam ('memory foam' which was an exercise mat) encased in a pillow case, and change the pillow cases when soiled. Just make sure they cannot eat/peck the foam.

Get some plastic eggs (or golf balls, or rocks, but I find fake eggs better) for the boxes. Or, sacrifice a few real eggs for a few days and leave them there. Discard those eggs when the newbies have got the message. They really are pre-programmed to lay where they see other eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

Get some plastic eggs (or golf balls, or rocks, but I find fake eggs better) for the boxes. Or, sacrifice a few real eggs for a few days and leave them there. Discard those eggs when the newbies have got the message. They really are pre-programmed to lay where they see other eggs.

I like golf balls because I can tell them from real eggs by touch when rooting around under a protesting broody.

 

[Quadzilla32]

I have fake eggs In there right now and the nesting boxes are the level with the floor. The coop is raised and the nesting boxes are on the side of the coop. So she lays the same height as the beating boxes. She did it a couple times idk if she just like digging a nest in the pine. I added some pine to the nesting boxes and will see if that helps. I was thinking of blocking off the area to try and persuade her to go somewhere else.