i have 3 nests with babies at the moment but question is how to keep them clean, one of my boxes i stupidly put outta reach in the aviary but what do you do these boxes do not have inserts and being a begginner i realised to late, can i put a few wood shavings in now and just clean from there? how do you do it, seems a bit hard and scary for mum to remove box and babies to try and clean (and then i still cant do much as all the poop sticks to the wood and if i was to soak em it would take to long to dry) ideas please?

You can take them down and put wood shavings in.

 

Take the chicks out first and put them in a deep bowl with some clean asorbic paper. Clean the nest box out with a scraper and then put the clean wood shavings in. Make sure you put the boxes back exactly where they were so the parents don't go into the wrong box.

I too have used wood shavings, however I have had more success

in keeping them (especially their feet) by using corse saw dust.

 

Works well for me.

I clean my nests boxes once every week or so. I simply "steal" the box when the hen is out, and, clean it as daz instructed. Neither of my hens seems to mind too much. They return to the nest as soon as I replace it and I make it quick removing only one nest at a time.

I don't have easy acess to wood shavings so i use shredded bits of paper towel, making sure though that its not in long enough lengths to get caught about the little ones or the parents feet.. It soaks up everything but has a tendency to stay damp so its changed out every day and sometimes twice a day (if not more ) I just keep an eye on it and change when required

Cheers :beer:

Una

i have 3 nests with babies at the moment but question is how to keep them clean, one of my boxes i stupidly put outta reach in the aviary but what do you do these boxes do not have inserts and being a begginner i realised to late, can i put a few wood shavings in now and just clean from there? how do you do it, seems a bit hard and scary for mum to remove box and babies to try and clean (and then i still cant do much as all the poop sticks to the wood and if i was to soak em it would take to long to dry) ideas please?

 

 

You could have two nest boxes for each breeding pair then move the babies to the clean nest box and clean the other and use that when the other is dirty.