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straw vs. hay for nest boxes

15 years ago

I have searched the area for two months and cannot find a source for straw. Heaven knows what is used for stable bedding around here! Anyway, my chickens are due to start laying next month, and I am getting desperate about putting something in their nest boxes. Is hay permissible? Is there anything else I could use? Please give me your best advice--I really need it!

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Comments (10)

shebear
15 years ago
You'll only find hay around this part of the country. From wheat I understand, straw is a waste product from grain harvests......wheat or something like that. Texas does milo but it doesn't produce a straw-like product.

Grandpa used hay as hen nests for years and sometimes we'd find a brooder in the haybarn in a hidden nest.
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marlingardener
Original Author
15 years ago
Shebear,
Thank you! I feel so much better about using hay, especially since you cited your grandfather's experience with it. I couldn't figure out why it might not work, except that it might tend to pack down. I can just see myself "fluffing" the nests weekly. Such maid service our hens have!
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Diana, Hens are notorious for redecorating their nest boxes. Mine have tossed out shavings, hay, grass clippings and are now considering what to do with sawdust! A retaining bar at the front of the box will slow them down, but not completely discourage them. Don't worry about it--just replenish the bedding material every once in a while. At five months your hens are just starting to lay, aren't they? They have to get the idea of nest boxes, which they will on their own. Meanwhile, watch where you step because they will lay eggs wherever the urge takes them. I found eggs in the strangest places until my girls decided nest boxes were nice. Enjoy your hens--they can be funny and frustrating, but mostly funny!
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Aren't Polish a hoot! :) I've got three of them myself and they are characters... All of my hens are fine with straw in wooden nest boxes, but I do have a lip about three inches high on the front of my boxes to prevent the hens from kicking the straw out when they are in there fussing around. I'd hesitate to use foam since the chickens could conceivably ingest it if little chunks break loose. The only other non-toxic thing I could think of is sand... Have you tried making the nesting material a tad deeper? I know someone who had a similar problem until she simply added another inch of straw and presto--! No more problem. Hens also prefer a dark hidey-hole type of nest to make them feel more secure and as if they were hiding their clutch for protection from predators. Whatever you try, good luck with it! :) Velvet ~:>
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We farm. We do hay for our own sheep plus sales. We do about 75 acres of hay on other people's land. We have planted and maintained all those hayfields. We pay no rent, but sign that the land is farmed to reduce municipal taxes (worth about $150/acre), and give a butchered lamb every year or two, depending on the size of the fields. We are among 3 farmers in the neighbourhood doing small square bales of hay. A lot of people want to have us do custom work baling their fields. We do it if: 1. It will not stop us from getting our own hay done in a timely fashion. 2. They are friendly and reasonable to work with. They do what they say they will in terms of picking up their share of hay, or paying on time if that is the agreement. 3. We won't lose too much money doing the job. If we are sharing the hay quality is reasonable, or they pay us good money to do the work. Compared to the cost of running and maintaining equipment, even with "free" land, we usually just manage to break even. We don't shortchange people, but rather go overboard to make sure that a landowner gets their share. We won't work with people if: 1. We have learned they are bad payers. 2. They badmouth everybody else in the neighbourhood. 3. They don't have help to stack the hay we deliver to their barn, so that we can keep our equipment going while the sun shines. 4. They have an overinflated idea of what their contribution to our farming operation is worth. If this sounds harsh, we have learned over the past 25 years, through being generous, that even when we lose money on a deal, there are some people who feel they are being cheated. Most of our neighbours are really wonderful, willing to help out in a pinch and we get along well, helping them out and sharing work and resources. This applies outside of haying season as well. We are the ones they come to for farming advice, for help to pull their tractor or car out of a ditch, or for someone to spread 3 year's worth of manure that has accumulated at the back of their barn. For us, doing custom haying is part of a larger picture of the neighbourhood. We always consult with a landowner if the weather is iffy. We give them an estimate of when we will get to their hay, so that they can find someone else to do it if they think it will be too late. Some years poor weather means that everyone's hay, including ours will be poor quality.
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chickadee_42us
15 years ago
I have always used hay for my nests.
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sunnfarm3
15 years ago
Shag carpeting works better than straw or hay and lasts for years. Better yet is plain old indoor outdoor carpeting, your birds are less likely to sleep in a nest with this material. Its important to start your flock off with one type of material and stick with it for the life of the flock. A nest should not be too comfy just as dark as possible... Bob.
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nhsuzanne
15 years ago
I am in NE and I have straw but I prefer to use pine shavings. They are easy to keep clean. I have several hens that sleep in the nesting boxes and no matter how hard I try I cannot break them. I just deal with it by cleaning anything out every morning which is very minimal.

I have read that long strands of hay is not good for the chickens to eat - impaction problems. But it would be suitable for nesting I just worry about them eating too much of it.

Wow sunnfarm, I never heard of shag carpeting! That's a good use for that stuff.
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posy_pet
15 years ago
My hens prefer shredded leaves over hay or straw.And not too much.I love the shag carpet bit.I have also used sawdust and shavings and that was acceptable.Posy Pet
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velvet_sparrow
15 years ago
*LOL @ fluffing the nests*...

Yup, hay is fine. I use straw, I get mine at the feed store.

Is there any danger of carpeting giving off toxic fumes? Some carpeting is pretty darned stinky...

Velvet ~:>
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marlingardener
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all for the information. I will try hay, and if that doesn't seem to satisfy the ladies, I'll go to pine shavings, which I can get locally.
I asked at our local feed store about buying straw but they didn't know of anyone who had it. I know I spoil my flock, but even I draw the line at carpeting their boxes! No, seriously, if the two above alternatives don't work, I'll get some carpet. Wait until my husband finds out that I plan to carpet part of the coop . . . .
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sunnfarm3
15 years ago
One reason we used carpeting is because we had roll out type nests. Traditionally roll out nest have wire floors which won't work if you raise birds on natural bedding. Carpeting feels soft to the birds like natural bedding so they don't mind using the nest box and at the same time carpeting allows the eggs to roll out. With straw the eggs get stuck in the nest...Bob.
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marlingardener
Original Author
15 years ago
Bob (aka sunnfarm3),
The carpeting sounds like a very viable alternative, but since we have hay in our pasture, I'll try that first. Also, we don't have roll-out nests--just the reach-in-and-grab type. Thank you for your information, and I hope we will be as successful with our flock as you obviously are with yours!
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