Yes i would appreciate knowing whether i need wood shaving or not in my nest boxes for my breeding pair of budgies...its all new to me but ive reared others birds before ...ive heard others tell me i dont need shaving the mother will make shaving herself and if i do put shavings in the box the eggs layed will be hidden from the mother and make it difficult for her to sit on them .......... iam a little confuded as to what to do i know there will be someone who can help ...and if their any other tips i would love to hear them .....by the way they are in an aviary but only one pair at the moment i would only like to have 3 breeding pairs in their at a time would that be okay to do this....the size of aviry is about 10 feet square roughly ....... look forward to hearing some answers thank you ......

It is better to have some kind of nesting material to protect eggs and chicks from the cooler conditions with insulation and from the hard bottom of the box, which can crack eggs easily if rolled around.

Don't do a thick layer as you're right, you can lose chicks and eggs under it.

There's several kinds of nesting materials you can use, I personally use wood shavings and a bit of wood dust.

That aviary will be fine for 3 pairs although you will need 2x the amount of nest boxes to pairs :hap:

Yes i understand with the nest boxes i have three nest boxes to one pair now so i need to do the same with the others ............ i will get some wood shavings and some dust as well appreciate your help thank you so much...John

Make sure the wood shavings are for nesting. Some they sell at the pet shop is for rabbit and guinea pig bedding and can have a strong smell, which can put a hen off spending time in the box.

Make sure the wood shavings are for nesting. Some they sell at the pet shop is for rabbit and guinea pig bedding and can have a strong smell, which can put a hen off spending time in the box.

 

Good advice mate some time ago i heard that a stall holder at the markets near here was selling shavings but there was some treated pine in the mix NOT good for the birds at all

It is a personal option - really But it is BEST to have some nesting materials on hand!

In the wild budgies use their feathers as nesting materials, and I have noticed on hens of mine, they kick the shavings out untill the babies hatched then i put them back in and they still perfer their feathers .....

It doesn't matter to start with. Most of the hens throw it out before laying. I add a hand full to give them something to do but don't really worry until the chicks hatch. Then it's good to soak up the droppings.

Thank you so much for all your comments you all are so very helpfull .....truly appreciated John & Swanacilli

can peat moss be used in the boxes as i have a heap of that,it is called parrot nesting material and looks like a dark soil

thanks