Hi guys

One of my mothers is a fabulous mum but a keeps a very dirty box. I have put shavings in there 3 times in the last two weeks and each time she has cleaned them all out of her box, yet the actual floor of her box looks messy, her chicks are dirty and she has the dirtiest face I have ever seen!

I was trying to work out something that I could put in the box that would keep it cleaner and drier, that she couldnt remove so easily, or if she did remove it, might remove her mess at the same time and the thought I came up with was bran. You know, bran that we eat from the supermarket. I was wondering if anyone has used this before and if it would be okay to try out with this hen. Most of my other hens seem happy enough to leave the shavings, or even if they dont, they keep relatively clean boxes, its just this one girl. I have had to clean stuck on muck on babies beaks twice now and have come to the realisation that I really have to check her babies carefully so they dont end up suffocating with their beaks all covered over in "budgie glue".

Yes I would think that bran would be suitable & I think some people do use it. Of course it would be more expensive but certainly suitable.

Thanks.........I will get some today while Im at work. I realise it will be more expensive, but I wont need to use it on any of my other birds, so it will still be affordable. Ive just been out to check on my birds and had to clean all her babies up again, one even had stuff on a wing tip........Its not a good thing

Sounds like what happened to me last year.... i think they call it "wet nest" which is a tummy bug.... i cleaned the chicks daily, even twice daily. It went away in a week or so.My hen also took out all bedding i put in. I used rolled oats as bedding.

Edited March 19, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Some hens are just like that. No matter what you do they will poop and or are dirty feeders which makes a mess in the box. All you can do is clean it up and try to keep the young ones clean. Clean there feet and under there beak. Having food caked under there will cause a overshot beak in the young.

Introducing different stuff into her nest box can cause trouble. If you make it look to different or it has a different smell she may abandon them all together.

Sounds like what I have with her. Do I need to do anything other than be vigilant with cleaning the babies? I will try the rolled oats instead......actually Libby suggested this to me too, but I had forgotten about it. So do I just buy the ol "Uncle Toby's" rolled oats? That kind of thing?

Here is the topic from my troubles last year

 

Here

 

I wouldn't spend big on uncle toby's brand.... the mid priced brands are a lot cheaper and just as good - avoid the really cheap ones though as i worry they could be dusty etc.

Hmmmmm.....I just read the bit about spinach, which I have actually given to my birds for the first time today, so I guess I will stop that now. I have always given them plenty of silverbeet.....would this have the same effect? I guess I could look into adding the raspberry cordial as well. What brand would be recommended, as I read Kaz's post about "not giving the cheap stuff that kids drink".

I don't remember the brand of the cordial - i do know it was yummy and didn't last long when the birds were finished with it hehehe

I remember it was about $7 for a bottle in the supermarket and i found it in the section where they have prune and cranberry juice.

 

Oh, and perhaps keep their diet dry until things clean up... it only lasts a week or so...

Edited March 20, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Thanks for all your help Liv

As Norm suggested the bran works as it is fine enough that they cannot remove it from the nest. The raspberry cordial has to be the good stuff. One of our members uses Cascade brand and there is Ribena I think. The messy nest is wet nest and signs of a troubled nest, so you need to get the bugs in that nest, in particular the Mums tummy bugs sorted out.

Edited March 20, 200817 yr by KAZ

Is that just by keeping a dry diet or will I need to do more?

the cordial helps with the bugs and the dry diet helps with the messy poops

I have a hen that kept throwing all nesting things out of the nest and the chicks would get dirty, so I tried sand (from the kids sandpit) as a last resort. It worked, she threw some out but the rest that stayed in there kept the bottom of the box clean.

Edited March 20, 200817 yr by Denise

Thanks. I bought rolled oats and bran today with the idea that the bran will sift through the oats and soak up messiness. A bit like the sand theory, that it will be too fine to throw out. I havent added it yet, I dont like to change things close to evening and risk confusion, so I will try mixing both and putting it in her box in the morning. She was quite a messy hen last time she bred as well, so Im not really sure its a bug, but I also bought the cordial too, as I figure it certainly cant hurt if it has good tummy properties

Thanks. I bought rolled oats and bran today with the idea that the bran will sift through the oats and soak up messiness. A bit like the sand theory, that it will be too fine to throw out. I havent added it yet, I dont like to change things close to evening and risk confusion, so I will try mixing both and putting it in her box in the morning. She was quite a messy hen last time she bred as well, so Im not really sure its a bug, but I also bought the cordial too, as I figure it certainly cant hurt if it has good tummy properties

 

My hens are normally clean so it was a bug with mine. I have just gone though my photos, i thought i had taken some of the mess, but i cant seem to find them.

 

I like your idea of mixing the oats and the bran

 

The cordial will not do them any harm even if they are tummy bug free . You can always drink what's left (YUM **Licks lips** heheh)

 

Hope they get better soon

Thanks. I bought rolled oats and bran today with the idea that the bran will sift through the oats and soak up messiness. A bit like the sand theory, that it will be too fine to throw out. I havent added it yet, I dont like to change things close to evening and risk confusion, so I will try mixing both and putting it in her box in the morning. She was quite a messy hen last time she bred as well, so Im not really sure its a bug, but I also bought the cordial too, as I figure it certainly cant hurt if it has good tummy properties

A messy bum from the mother is also a sign that she isnt feeding HERSELF very well....so monitor her health and make sure she is eating. Millet in the nestbox in a small diameter cap or millet sprays.

Well I added the rolled oats this morning, with the bran. She didnt go in for a while, but she was still sitting outside her box and protecting it. I have wasted most of my day just pottering with the budgies, moving babies etc. Its been lovely. Not long ago, she was housecleaning the rolled oats out of her box. It was quite amusing to watch. She would pop in, then pop out with a mouthful, do a little circle outside her box then drop it just under the perch. Occasionally, she just flicks it out of the box, then she does her little dance again. I happened to catch her up while catching babies and so had a chance to look at her properly. She seems healthy, I have seen her eating plenty and her husbird feeding her and her bottom is clean. So maybe she is just very messy. I think I will just have to persist with cleaning and putting bran and oats in her box (Laughing out loud). Oh, the other observation that amused me.......while she was tossing it out, other budgies were eating it (Laughing out loud). Oh I also did add the millet anyway, nothing extra hurts