Nesting material?

[Peckedhen]

What do you use for the birds to build their nests?  I have got clay bowls, I seem to remember reading about pine needles somewhere - has anyone else used these?

[snowy]

i put a bit of wood shavings in the bottom of bowl & leave some straw available for them if they want to build

[Silverdale Lofts]

the bowls are on grills with tobacco stalks for nest material

[Guest speckled]

My bowls are on platice floor tiles, :-/ easy to wipe,& when the youngsters get older i will surround the bowl with ; shavings,as for nesting material,thay get straw,to build there own nest,but when the youngsters are about 10 days old, i will remove there nest material & repalce it with fresh shavings,which get changed as offten as it need, ;D Speckled.

 

[Guest]

I use dryed pine needles

[snowy]

ive heard of tabaco leaves or stalks being used before?? does this also help keep the lice away?

[Guest]

I use a slightly different system.

 

Plastic nest bowls (mesh bottom, 'german style') with nest felts (latex type, doesn't unravel). Spinkle a bit of deep litter over the felt. Birds can bring in what they want (twigs) from the garden to build on top of that. I usually remove most of these twigs when the eggs hatch. Reckon plastic nest bowls and nest felts are more hygienic. They are washed & disinfected and re-used.  

 

When youngsters are around 10/12 days old, I reckon they are too big for the bowl and I take the bowl away and put in chopped straw (too small for birds to carry in themselves) which covers half the box floor. Youngsters are mobile, up and walking about really quickly, watch & copy the parents, and are soon in at the galley pot and the water jar = eating & drinking long before they leave the nest.

 

 

[Guest]

I use clay bowls, and add a bit of easi-bed shaving. Then once they are starting to make nests I add tabacco stalks (chopped in half) on the loft floor and hide bits of it around the loft so they have to search around for it (keeps the mind working). Once the babies are big enough to make a mess, I take the big bits out of the nest and keep adding more shaving in (only when the birds are away from the box) and put newspaper under the bowls and change this daily. I also spry the nests once a week with a bit of Duramitex to kill any mites (obviously I remove birds for a few minutes). I know a lad who just puts a bit of straw in and leaves the nest and droppings to build up through the whole period until they are weaned, and his Young birds always come out very healthy, but I dont like the mess in my loft.

[Guest shadow]

I use disposable nest bowls tobacco stalks and shredded paper sprinkled with louse powder

[jimmy white]

im going to try hyacinths pine needles, [ well not hers, its too far to go to for a bag ]ill still use the shavings with the loft treatment as well, ive never tried pine needles b4 so well see how it works out.

[frank-123]

i use tobacco stalks leave them outside let the birds take them inside to build there nest keeps them fit and a little closer to nature

[Guest]

Are your pine needles from conifers such as leylandii? These are the 'twigs' that my birds bring in, deliberate leftovers from trimming. What are the benefits?

 

Anyone any knowledge on / confirm the insecticidal properties of heather? Was thinking of planting heather in the garden for additional nesting material for the birds.  

[Guest]

Bruno

 

Not sure what the trees are, we just pick them up and dry them out before giving them to the birds.  They are very pliable and fit nicely round the nest bowl.

 

I would add a word of caution about commercially produced nest felts.  In 2001 we lost about 16 babies at a day old, These felts had been produced in Belgium and had not been steralized correctly and the hidden bacteria killed the babies.

 

 

 

[Chatrace]

White long Needle Pine are the best i think. They do help keeps the bugs out also

[carl]

Clay bowl rapped in two sheats of newspaper,sprinkle of sawdust and tabocco stalks snapped in half maybe some straw also if i had it.

 

I did read tabacco stalks help with lice but i didnt find it did.

[carl]

After breeding unrap newspaper and bowls still gleaming for next season.

[speedbird]

pigeons are buggers when it comes down to nest building ive had birds use anything from nails!! to twigs & sticks straw,paper,nylon fag butts!! i use shavings in the nest box & bowl & straw @ tob stalks but the bird has its own fav!!