Little Giant Fiber Poultry Nesting Pads

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Loose straw in a nest box does two things badly. It works its way out until the hen is laying on bare wood, and it holds moisture from droppings and broken eggs, which is how nest boxes start to smell and how shells pick up bacteria. These are fibre pads with a brown kraft paper backing, 13 inches square, sized to drop into a standard nest box. Where a box is smaller or an odd shape they trim down with a knife or shears. The pad gives the hen a soft surface to settle on, sits the eggs up off the floor of the box, and the backing adds a layer between the bedding and the box itself. That lift is worth having. Eggs stay clear of whatever moisture collects in the base of the box, and a drier nest is a less hospitable one for bacteria. Cleaner shells also mean less washing, and washing is what shortens the keeping life of an egg. Replace a pad when it is soiled or flattened rather than trying to clean it. Ten in a pack covers a full change on ten boxes, or several changes on a smaller coop through the season.