Dry nest boxes

with all this snow and mild temps my nest boxes are getting very damp and gross, i clean them everyday after work but it is still very damp.

does anyone use something like stall dry or oil absorber in the nest box to help keep things dry? i have a bag of Qualisorb which is made of calcined diatomaceous earth, same as stall dry i believe but i'm not sure if i should use it in the nest box

morb wrote:

with all this snow and mild temps my nest boxes are getting very damp and gross, i clean them everyday after work but it is still very damp.

does anyone use something like stall dry or oil absorber in the nest box to help keep things dry? i have a bag of Qualisorb which is made of calcined diatomaceous earth, same as stall dry i believe but i'm not sure if i should use it in the nest box

Diatamacous earth. Use it in the boxes on the floor with shavings/straw and on the dogs summertime. Kills all bugs that move. Ticks whatever. plus worms. Stall Dry works good also. I have used it for years. Cheaper than DE.

i know guys put de in their grain bin to kill any bugs but it's a powder, the stuff i got is granular like kitty litter, wasn't sure if it would be ok if the birds ingested it

Good observation!!! Granular is for swimming pools etc! DO NOT USE! Powder is for humans and livestock.

the swimming pool stuff is different again and yes very bad for you, if you breath it in it will shred your lungs.
this stuff looks just like kitty litter, it is very absorbent i use it on oil, antifreeze spills even a paint spill one time. was concerned about the birds eating it and plugging them up or something

i can't post a link but if you google Qualisorb you will find it

Have to go. Nice talking as always.

I use wood shavings in my nestboxes during the breeding season, always been fine, and when young get bigger I put it on the wet droppings around the nest bowl.

I would use sand ...have heard of guys using a cat pellet for deep litter and the birds were eating it think they were compressed wood or something similar ...you cant go wrong with sand

sometimes depends on time of year and which loft.
race loft sand if im scraping around the bowl everyday,stock loft shavings,snowflake large compressed bale
its really shredded wood not the soft type they also make.

I have found that when it is misty or damp in the air, sand also gets damp.

We used Kitty litter last year not just to keep the nest bowls free from damp, but to keep them clean and free from poop.  Most of our babies are quite clean and poo over the side of the nest bowl, but some are dirty little buggers and we found kitty liter works very well.

Please note - there are many kinds of kitty litter - do not buy the cheap ones, the birds might be tempted to eat some of it.  But the more expensive types are made differently and the babies do not bother with them[b]

All the best.

Phil

Is it that they are damp from the weather or are damp from a bit of cocci if the droppings are all OK but bottom of the box is wet then its the weather but if the droppings are loose its cocci then treat them that's what I would do

I knew someone worked at the rubber factory, they used a lot of French chalk, basically unscented talc. Brilliant stuff mixed with sawdust and put round the bowls and nestboxes.

Sand and lime mix, no trouble, both natural'


Regards.

If it is not cocci - Kiln dried sand from B&Q is very good, mixed with about 35% 'Loft White'.

Also - get two bits of flat wood - something like door stop or battening - around 12 centimetre long and put them under the nest bowl as wide apart as you can get them.

This works really well to stop moisture at any time of the year.

Phil

Stand on a plastic parting grill the drinker aswell tho my drinkers on a plastic crate...
I used a grill when i used cable drums

I just wonder what loft white actually is, could it be lime based?

I think that the black minerals were coal based, the residue of washing the coal prior to turning it into coke.
/
When the mines closed and the manufacturers lost there supply they turned to red clay me thinks.

Regards.

markevans wrote:

Is it that they are damp from the weather or are damp from a bit of cocci if the droppings are all OK but bottom of the box is wet then its the weather but if the droppings are loose its cocci then treat them that's what I would do

yes mark the boxes are damp from the weather, everything is damp i can't close the door on my old shed cause the wood swelled. this has been a crazy winter with humidity and cold and rain and wind and so on lol

thanks for all the ideas everyone. i think i'm going to get some grates to put in the boxes but in the meantime i'll put strips of batting under the bowels and try the qualisorb since it is like kitty litter but doesn't break down when it gets wet like kitty litter. this is the first time i can think of that i have had this problem at this time of year

well i tried the qualisorb in the nest boxes and it works a dream everything is nice and dry

morb wrote:

markevans wrote:

Is it that they are damp from the weather or are damp from a bit of cocci if the droppings are all OK but bottom of the box is wet then its the weather but if the droppings are loose its cocci then treat them that's what I would do

yes mark the boxes are damp from the weather, everything is damp i can't close the door on my old shed cause the wood swelled. this has been a crazy winter with humidity and cold and rain and wind and so on lol

I feel for you Morb Crap type scenario there I suggest Humidity here today running around 15/20 &       so a different ball game completely if breeding as such.

morb wrote:

thanks for all the ideas everyone. i think i'm going to get some grates to put in the boxes but in the meantime i'll put strips of batting under the bowels and try the qualisorb since it is like kitty litter but doesn't break down when it gets wet like kitty litter. this is the first time i can think of that i have had this problem at this time of year

Where did you buy your qualisorb from please.
Phil

blueskylofts wrote:

morb wrote:

thanks for all the ideas everyone. i think i'm going to get some grates to put in the boxes but in the meantime i'll put strips of batting under the bowels and try the qualisorb since it is like kitty litter but doesn't break down when it gets wet like kitty litter. this is the first time i can think of that i have had this problem at this time of year

Where did you buy your qualisorb from please.
Phil

i bought it at a big box store in Canada, not sure if it's available in the UK but it is used for absorbing oil spills and such, it's not cly based like cat litter or other absorbers. it is made of diatomaceous earth and doesn't get soggy like cat litter.
hope that helps

Hi Morb

I found some for sale in the UK but as far as I can remember, it was REALLY expensive.

But thanks anyway.

Phil

Hal uses DE and is happy with it..worms and delousrs also
Sounds good stuff

I'm thinking of getting some DE to try this year a mate of mine used it with great success got rid of all the little moths