Kalu Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 ....of their nesting box?! In the last couple of weeks the girls have taken to clearing out all of the straw from their nesting box. It either gets thrown in between the roosting bars or out of the door. I put fresh in each morning (can't bear to think of them laying their eggs on a hard plastic surface ) but each day when i get home from work the nest box is empty again. Any ideas? Could it be a change of straw? I had to buy a couple of smaller bags last time instead of the huge bale i had been working through for 2 years! Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Sorry can't help with your problem but my girls have started throwing all their floor covering out of their house. It's a Solway replacing their previous Solway so it's more or less exactly the same and they didn't do it before Sometimes (all the time ) there is no rhyme or reason to the way chickens behave. Perhaps trying one of the chopped bedding types such as Auboise or Rapport might be better. More difficult to move but still possible to s"Ooops, word censored!"e out I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 If they are point of lay, they are displaying nesting behaviour, so eggs may be imminent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeloo Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Mine tend to dig out all the nesting material in the base and just leave a ring around the top. The only time they tossed it out entirely is when I used some old pine straw that was kind of brittle. If this is new behavior for yours, it could be that they are objecting to the change in texture between the old straw and new? Maybe the new stuff is more dry and prickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auntielizzie Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I thought this was just normal chicken behaviour. I plump up the nesting box all nice and comfy every morning before I go to work, and every day when I go to collect the eggs (well I should just say "egg" as only Betty is laying at the moment), the straw is in a pile outside the nest box. I think they just like to organise it just right themselves and prefer to lay on the Aubiose underneath Whatever makes them happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Mine do that too - some of them eat it, some of them like pecking at it through the air vents. I don't mind them doing that - if it keeps them happy, then it's fine with me - straw is cheap anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindafw Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I gave up on straw...my ladies now have a deep layer of wood shavings which they seam to enjoy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...