Chicken Removing Straw from Nesting Box
- Bulworthyproject
- Barbara Good
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2011 1:38 pm
- Location: Rackenford, Devon
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Chicken Removing Straw from Nesting Box
One of our chickens keeps removing straw from a nest box in our chicken house. The same chicken (I think) was in the empty nest box today sitting on 2 very warm eggs and was a bit aggressive like you would expect from a broody chicken that has been disturbed. i have replaced the straw quite a few times over the last few days. I have put diotom in there i case there are some sort of mites/lice that I cannot see that are disturbing her. I have looked for insect life but cannot find any. I have put a small layer of charcoal fines (small pieces of charcoal that get graded out before bagging up barbecue charcoal) as this absorbs smell, just incase there was some smell that was disturbing her. Has anyone got any Idea what I try next?
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Re: Chicken Removing Straw from Nesting Box
Stick some sawdust in that box,andsee how she fancies moving that piece by piece.BW.
Re: Chicken Removing Straw from Nesting Box
I had a chicken who refused to have straw in the box a few years ago and no matter how I put it in she didnt like it and she kept putting it outside the box,so I just gave up and used wood shavings and she was quite happy for a few years and laid ok also. Maybe some chooks just dont like straw!!
Re: Chicken Removing Straw from Nesting Box
Mine do that but mainly during the winter months.
They eat it, pecking it up into small bite sized pieces. The only trouble is they pull it all out and eat about 10% and stomp on the rest.
They seem to stop doing it when the grass starts growing, so I put it down to either a deficiency in their food (unlikely) or boredom.
They eat it, pecking it up into small bite sized pieces. The only trouble is they pull it all out and eat about 10% and stomp on the rest.
They seem to stop doing it when the grass starts growing, so I put it down to either a deficiency in their food (unlikely) or boredom.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.