Will hoey

[RubySlippers]

Is this normal?

 

Every time I put in lovely fresh straw for the ladies to lay their eggs in they kick the whole lot out before they'll do a thing.

I'm not exactly worried about it, the eggs keep coming and the chooks are happy, but I don't know whether to keep putting the straw in for them or abandon it altogether.

 

And, on a more petty note, it would much prettier to find my morning eggs nestled in a nest of straw than in an empty nesting box of poop! Humph!

 

On the bright side:

[sjp]

it could be that they've found some grain in it mine have a habit of kicking it about

[RubySlippers]

Grain in the straw? Oh. I hadn't thought of that.

 

Wheh the first egg was laid they were free ranging in the garden and Agnes made a big fuss of weeding a patch of ground under a bush. I thought she was maybe trying to do the same in the coop.

 

Is there any way I can encourage them to like the straw?

[Space Chick]

I know a few of us use hemcore or aubiose (a type of horse bedding) in the nesting box.

 

May be worth a try

[sjp]

I know this might sound daft but try making it deeper

or try wood shavings instead of a straw type bedding

[alet_chicken]

Hi, I find that some of my more lively girls manage to kick whatever bedding I put in the Eglu nestbox out into the run. I guess some are just more enthusiastic about scrobbling around and building a "nest" than others.

[Chucky Mama]

I use shredded paper, there is no way anyone is going to be able to read my personal details after my girls have finished with it

[K-F-C]

I've heard that straw can be too sharp... I use Aubiose; it's much softer and more absorbent.

[Egluntyne]

I use Aubiose too. Straw can be claggy and damp. It can also be a cause of impacted crop, as some hens tend to eat it.

[joegg]

When we picked up our new girls from Wernlas I asked Shaun about a few things one was about red mite he said dont use straw use wood shavings as bedding. This we have done and it seems to have also sorted out the dirty egg issue as it is more absorbant and it is easy to throw a handful in in a hurry just to freshen things up. They do like to kick it about a bit but thats ok.

[Saronne]

Mine eat straw and shredded paper. They seem to do better with shavings.

 

 

Saronne x

[Lavenders_Blue]

I use wood shavings in the nest box and floor of the house.

2 of my girls lay in the house (not the nest box - that's for sleeping in ) and I always find the eggs layed in a hollow of shavings where they have been scratched out of the way and the egg layed directly on the newspaper underneath!

 

They both do this so they're perhaps not as bothered about a nice, soft comfy nest as we think they are?

 

p.s. The other two just lay eggs any old place they feel like!

[jimnpaula]

My girls prefer an empty nestbox which is, of course, for sleeping in. I still keep putting auboise and/or straw in there, and I keep finding it kicked out into the poo tray.... when will I learn?

 

Maybe I'll see if mum's bunnies want some straw

 

P

[i_want_the_good_life]

My girls kick out strawbut love nestling in wood shavings.