hay or straw

[REDROCKET]

one thing i hate to see in the breeding season is a bare nest we normally through down a handful of straw for the birds to pick at for nesting still lots of them dont use it. i lobbed a handful of hay onto the loft floor and within mins the birds were going daft for it lining there nests can anyone tell me why.

[billt]

Could be because it's finer and easier to form a nest, have used it before and found you have to watch as it can tie around y/b's legs

[kev43]

one thing i hate to see in the breeding season is a bare nest we normally through down a handful of straw for the birds to pick at for nesting still lots of them dont use it. i lobbed a handful of hay onto the loft floor and within mins the birds were going daft for it lining there nests can anyone tell me why.

 

wouldnt use either tobacco stalks for me  

[Roland]

Any hollow substance can cause trouble with nasties up the tube like.

I believe that Microwaving them is done to a decent effect.

[marmite]

tobbaco stalks every time they love em and hlp keep mites away

[Guest strapper]

dont let any of the above get wet,at least not for any length of time as the mold can affect the birds.

[blaz]

 

wouldnt use either tobacco stalks for me  

 

tobacco are best and keep the lice down .if using straw or hay .put some delousing powder on it that sorts them out.

[FLAPPER 123]

 

 

  always used straw, had no problems.........

[blackdog]

used to use tobacco stalks but i was getting one or two eggs dented or broke so now i mix sand and sawdust and put in bottom of nestpans then let them build with straw.

[Guest shippy]

cant  believe that when you are breeding that some of your pairs dont touch straw agree some better builders than others but unless something wrong with straw you are using they should use it no problem

[Guest youngzimmy]

tobacco stalks every time nuthin creeps or crawls in amongest them

[Guest Davy Fleming]

TOBACCO STALKS EVERY TIME WOULD NEVER EVER USE STRAW AS THINK IT'S THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD AS NONE OF THE BIRDS GET PEACE FOR MITE

[REDROCKET]

used straw all 09  in the whites breeding loft  all ok but do add a little mite killer    to it  found that some birds are good nest makers others just let me make them lol

 

put your straw down then when they stop useing it put down the hay i'll bet they all use it.

[REDROCKET]

lots of talk about mites i was also told put a beer mat soaked in creasote under the nest pan and that would keep any beasties away.????????????????????????????????????

[MsPigeon]

Mine seem to like straw fine, but when I have them I prefer long pine needles. I have to get myself busy and get them collected when the time comes though or I don't have them when I need them. It's funny to watch the birds with straw hay or whatever, some pick through the pile checking out each piece and shaking it and droping it and picking it up again and them carfulling placing it just so in their nest and then when they've gone for another their neighbor come over a steals it. And some of them bring sticks fromm out side in and all sorts of funny things they find.  

Yours in the sport.

Carol  

[Guest youngzimmy]

ITS ALL IN THE TOBACCO STALKS NO NEED FOR MITE DUST OR CREOSOTED BEER MATS BEEN THERE  YOUR MIND IS AT EASE IN THAT DEPARTMENT WHEN YOU USE TOBABBO STALKS

[rick]

i ues tobbaco stalks cut up to about 4" and straw. tobbaco keeps mites away and straw makes it a softer nest.  never have mites on birds doing this.

[billy wilson]

i have always used oat straw never had any problems,i think wheat straw to hard,barley straw is to dirty only my opinion.

[kev43]

cant  believe that when you are breeding that some of your pairs dont touch straw agree some better builders than others but unless something wrong with straw you are using they should use it no problem

 

make sure straw not damp  

[kev43]

TOBACCO STALKS EVERY TIME WOULD NEVER EVER USE STRAW AS THINK IT'S THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD AS NONE OF THE BIRDS GET PEACE FOR MITE

 

not just mite davy m8 ,,,what about the spores it throws out when damp proper killer ( aspillergosis ) when straw gets damp off yb,s droppings these spores will come out and in2 ur loft and do serious damage 2 all ur birds not just yb.s jmo

[Guest IB]

I buy my straw pre-pack from a pet store. Stalks are usually flat as a pancake, so can't harbour nasties. But I only use it for the nest box floor when YBs are around 12 days old, idea is to free-up the nest bowl for the next round of eggs, as the pair are usually going back down at this time.

 

My birds bring in their own nesting material from the garden which they build on top of a nest felt; all I do is sprinkle stalosan over it before they start building, and when the eggs are due to hatch, the twigs etc come out, leaving the youngster to hatch out on a sterile nest felt.