Nest materials

What do you guys and gals do about nest building materials for your birds?

I give ours mainly tobacco stalks mixed in with clean straw direct from the farm.

I normally break the tobacco stalks in half, make sure the clean straw is about the same length and put it all in a corner or along a wall.

I have found that the birds are very picky about what bits they use and a good amount of the straw and tobacco stalks are dirtied with droppings and/or general detritus. Our lofts are cleaned out twice a day, so they are not dirty by any means, but still the nesting material seems to get dusty and the birds will not touch it.

Is there a way to somehow keep the nesting materials clean? I have racked my brains to try and think of a solution but, up to now, haven't come up with anything. Do you have any ideas?

Phil

Sawdust in bottom of nest bowl about 1.5" deep.
Couple of handfulls spread all round the loft and a handful in the corner of their box.
Cleaned out once a day and new straw put in.
I leave it the length it is, thy enjoy building it theirselves, however if you want to get them fitter during the racing season, you can cut it up smaller and spread it round the garden so they make more trips.
When there's young in the nest, about 10 days old, fresh saw dust around the bowl daily to keep it nice and dry and keep flies away.

Boosey wrote:

Sawdust in bottom of nest bowl about 1.5" deep.
Couple of handfulls spread all round the loft and a handful in the corner of their box.
Cleaned out once a day and new straw put in.
I leave it the length it is, thy enjoy building it theirselves, however if you want to get them fitter during the racing season, you can cut it up smaller and spread it round the garden so they make more trips.
When  there's young in the nest, about 10 days old, fresh saw dust around the bowl daily to keep it nice and dry and keep flies away.

Hi Boosey,

Can I just clarify - you said
"Sawdust in bottom of nest bowl about 1.5" deep.
Couple of handfulls spread all round the loft and a handful in the corner of their box.
Cleaned out once a day and new straw put in."

Do you mean SAWDUST in the nest bowls and STRAW scattered around the loft and a bit in the nest boxes.

I am just a little confused!

Phil

I use twigs, wild dead grass, Dead weeds whatever I can pick up when out with the dogs. Shavings also, sometimes they will lay on the floor. Excess nesting material put in aviary. Keeps it clean enough. Birds like getting it moved.

coconut nest felt tobacco stalks cut up into 3 inch pieces and straw usually barley straw and put a handful of each on the loft floor until they lose interest in building nests ...the felt is changed each round of ybs also sprinkle some diatomaceous earth under the felt too and the pans are up on cut down grills about 1/4 size but a perch grill is ideal

Phil you could try a netting basket or wire basket if you have the room big enough for the birds to pull the straw thorough you can fill it up and they take what they need this works well it doesn't have to be a basket anything that will hold the straw about three inches off the floor

Some great ideas guys. Thank you all.

Mark - did you get my PM?

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Phil

Yes Phil got it

markevans wrote:

Yes Phil got it

Always used pine needles etc here. This year I decided to use straw instead, just for a change & 90% finished up on the floor of the loft as such. So for me it was a waist of $15. Cheers.

Knackered wrote:

markevans wrote:

Yes Phil got it

Always used pine needles etc here. This year I decided to use straw instead, just for a change & 90% finished up on the floor of the loft as such. So for me it was a waist of $15. Cheers.

I wouldn't know what type of pine needles is best to use. We have lots of forest around us, so I could go and look, but maybe it is too late in the year.

Can we have a bit more info Knackered please.

Phil

halcanada wrote:

I use twigs, wild dead grass, Dead weeds whatever I can pick up when out with the dogs. Shavings also, sometimes they will lay on the floor. Excess nesting material put in aviary. Keeps it clean enough. Birds like getting it moved.

Cheapest is pine needles here, just of the ground as such & if one wishes to chuck them all in a barrow with bleach & water they will come up pretty clean as such if one is worried about the contamination etc.

Knackered wrote:

halcanada wrote:

I use twigs, wild dead grass, Dead weeds whatever I can pick up when out with the dogs. Shavings also, sometimes they will lay on the floor. Excess nesting material put in aviary. Keeps it clean enough. Birds like getting it moved.

Cheapest is pine needles here, just of the ground as such & if one wishes to chuck them all in a barrow with bleach & water they will come up pretty clean as such if one is worried about the contamination etc.

One thanks one very much!

Phil

You could use Heather Phil bhw scribe Joe Murphy Swears by it for nesting

Yes we put sawdust in the bowl first then give them plenty of straw and tobacco stalks

I still just use straw for nesting material, plus I sometimes put a bit of sand in the bottom of the bowl, or sometimes wrap the bowl in news paper......

When I raced only ever used Tobacco stalks

But now I would cover the bowls with news paper and a little saw dust in the bottom of the nest bow and Tobacco Stalksl