Hi,

 

Just wanted to know what I can put on the bottom of my nest box to help with moisture, I have 6 chicks in that nest (alot) and I clean it out every other day.....Its really moist in there...Like wet!!

It's a big mess soon after I clean it like someone has poured water in there??????

 

I was thinking to put down...turkey starter crumble????

I have never put oats down...will that work....

I use sterilized wood shavings available at pet shop, you may also drill some holes in the top of the nest box to allow better ventilation Cheers Clearwing

Like clearwing says drill some ventitalation holes as it sounds like your getting a lot of condensation. You could also try a small amount of kitty litter.

Hi,

 

Just wanted to know what I can put on the bottom of my nest box to help with moisture, I have 6 chicks in that nest (alot) and I clean it out every other day.....Its really moist in there...Like wet!!

It's a big mess soon after I clean it like someone has poured water in there??????

 

I was thinking to put down...turkey starter crumble????

I have never put oats down...will that work....

 

I look at wet nest as a serious issue , you need to look closely at what you are or arent feeding the parents . They will need minerals , the chicks have loose droppings because the parents are drinking excessively , check your drinker and see how much they are drinking in a day . Also keep an eye on the parents for condition.

Like clearwing says drill some ventitalation holes as it sounds like your getting a lot of condensation. You could also try a small amount of kitty litter.

 

The Kitty litter,will take care of the moisture.

Now if you are feeding the parents moist food,

then you will get wet dropings.If the nest box

is big enough to take a 1ltr icecream container &

kitty litter in the container.

I would put that in the nest box & it will make it easyer to

keep the nest clean.

Hi,

 

Just wanted to know what I can put on the bottom of my nest box to help with moisture, I have 6 chicks in that nest (alot) and I clean it out every other day.....Its really moist in there...Like wet!!

It's a big mess soon after I clean it like someone has poured water in there??????

 

I was thinking to put down...turkey starter crumble????

I have never put oats down...will that work....

 

I look at wet nest as a serious issue , you need to look closely at what you are or arent feeding the parents . They will need minerals , the chicks have loose droppings because the parents are drinking excessively , check your drinker and see how much they are drinking in a day . Also keep an eye on the parents for condition.

 

I have to agree with Matt.

Thanks guys for that........I have been feeding them HIPES of wet food everyday.......egg and biscuit....alot of fruit and vegs everyday....spinach, bok choy, dandelion, corn, apples, carrots, i full the cage with large portons!!! IS that too much??? Should I cut back>MMmmmmmmmmJust bit anxious that they have 6 chicks to feed thats all.....have no fosters!!!The parents seem in good condition, I have been watching em closely!!!!CHEERSAlso might change the nest all together....... is that safe....because I sprayed the outside of the nest with water when it was really hot days here, several times to cool them down or TRY too...lol and can see mositure inside....black spots on the side and top>>>>>Wonder if that was the reason...........

Yes I would cut back do the veges every second or third day and a small amount of wet food a day, to much is not really good because you can over do it. Did the same thing last breeding season cut back and things improved But it wouldn't hurt to drill some air holes around the top of the nest for ventalation.

Good luck I hope it all improves.

Thanks Splat!!! I have drilled the holes on top, and will cut down on vegs etc....thought I was doing a world of good>>>>>>

Cheers

:rofl:

Hi. just reading post, if you have sprayed nest box's maybe they are absorbing the moisture, the black spots could be mildew e.g. If your box's are m.d.f. or chipboard it may not be good as it would be permanently damp for chicks. The humidity inside could be a worry.

Like clearwing says drill some ventitalation holes as it sounds like your getting a lot of condensation. You could also try a small amount of kitty litter.

 

The Kitty litter,will take care of the moisture.

Now if you are feeding the parents moist food,

then you will get wet dropings.If the nest box

is big enough to take a 1ltr icecream container &

kitty litter in the container.

I would put that in the nest box & it will make it easyer to

keep the nest clean.

 

 

i just reading this now

i would do what macka say rather than change whole box

also what matt said and kaz very true about the minerals and water

 

do they have iodine bell and charcol bell in cage

or calcium of some type not in water soluble form although that is good i find the hens like to eat the hard bells alot durring chick raising

 

i had moister in box due to condensation last year when i changed boxes

the holes made a big diffrents

veg is okay and soft mix every day so long its in small quantatys

i wouldnt go changeing feeding durring raising id just cut back to small bit per day of same things

also try the egg n biskit as a dry food

not wet

 

good luck

moving the chicks to new box may put the hen off feeding all together

small chance but it is a chance do mackas idea

Thanks guys for that........I have been feeding them HIPES of wet food everyday.......egg and biscuit....alot of fruit and vegs everyday....spinach, bok choy, dandelion, corn, apples, carrots, i full the cage with large portons!!! IS that too much??? Should I cut back>MMmmmmmmmmJust bit anxious that they have 6 chicks to feed thats all.....have no fosters!!!The parents seem in good condition, I have been watching em closely!!!!CHEERSAlso might change the nest all together....... is that safe....because I sprayed the outside of the nest with water when it was really hot days here, several times to cool them down or TRY too...lol and can see mositure inside....black spots on the side and top>>>>>Wonder if that was the reason...........

Black spots can also be red mite so look a little closer at those black spots just in case.

Thanks,

 

i have done what mackas said....its better in there!!

 

robyn I think it is chipboard....Will that damp stay now???? Should I throw out the nest box once there raised???

there is black mildew on top!!

 

GB I am giving calcium...Have the shell grit, calivet and just out of the bell, gotta get some tomorrow as they killed through the last one they had!!!

 

Will never water down boxes again>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> YOU LIVE AND YOU LEARN AYE!!!

Thanks Nowbudgie,Iam glad some one has

tryed,something I have surgested.

It dose keep the nest box clean,

& you only have to tip out the kitty litter,

when its time is up.

Thanks,

 

i have done what mackas said....its better in there!!

 

robyn I think it is chipboard....Will that damp stay now???? Should I throw out the nest box once there raised???

there is black mildew on top!!

 

GB I am giving calcium...Have the shell grit, calivet and just out of the bell, gotta get some tomorrow as they killed through the last one they had!!!

 

Will never water down boxes again>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> YOU LIVE AND YOU LEARN AYE!!!

 

 

glad you took mackas advice

chip board swells when wet also

mold can be cleaned with white king then left in sun for few days to dry really well

dont drentch box just wipe out and scrap it with paint scrapper

glad all is good

yes we do live to learn

Hi again, As G.B. said particle board or m.d.f will swell it could crumble after it dries out. It might see out the clutch you've got now. If it stays o.k. you could reuse it depending on how bad it is. If you can get rid of the mildew it would be better, as I don't think it would be good for the birds. See how it goes over a few days and take it from there. Hope this helps a bit. Cheers

Thanks Nowbudgie,Iam glad some one has

tryed,something I have surgested.

It dose keep the nest box clean,

& you only have to tip out the kitty litter,

when its time is up.

 

lol oh macka alot of people listen to you

i know i do

i enjoy you on this forum you spice it up a bit in a good way

You are all lucky,only one in every 5 posts that I post, make it

to the light of day, they are very blunt,I guess a lot of

others think what I say BUT don't post,Just as well.

You are all lucky,only one in every 5 posts that I post, make it

to the light of day, they are very blunt,I guess a lot of

others think what I say BUT don't post,Just as well.

 

lol i get edited quiet a bit well not so much now as now i just try my best to say things round a bout

im sure most would take your honesty wrong mate but mainly due to most people cant deal with honest or bluntly stated answers

fact is when you dont know whos on the other side of a name eg chockbreeder, yourself , rainman and theirs plenty more its hard to judge whos just saying stuff and whos got true breeding and bird experience

eg everyone knows kaz and rip, nubbly ,daz and others alike breed show and know and if not sure they will find out

but their is others whom just speak from books and books dont cut it from where i stand i prefer to get help from a truly experienced person in the field weather i agree or not think their to harsh or not well i decide that myself but i know that harsh or not realistically they would know better if you ask me honesty and directness is needed in this hobby as to many birds are being delt with by people who have no clue and they get away with stuff as no one wants to hurt their feelings

well poor them think about the poor birds

even myself im finding after years of breeding birds i still have no clue when it comes to show birds

and really believe people shouldn't get into them unless a proper set up and intention is really deeply set in them

i got the half of that but unfortunately i didnt get the right set up first my poor birds payed for it and still are paying for it as i slowly build around them

very stupid but i really thought i had everything i needed and all the breeding knowledge i needed

how wrong was i and i been breeding budgies for years and years now

so much more comes with show breeding and housing feeding everything is so much more complex and time and cost consuming

no one really realizes as thats not put out

you really need to know a show breeder spend time as an aviary hand and see from their what goes on and then decide if its for you

its a full on hobby not one for people whom get afended easily thats for sure pretty much need to be a duck i say

Edited February 12, 201015 yr by GenericBlue

I read on an aviary website about recycling the empty seed husks into nestboxes to control the moisture. I've been using this method for the last two seasons with great success, still changing it every few days, depending on the number of chicks in the box = clean feet & much drier nest boxes. Drilling airholes certainly helped too. I'd be really concerned about using m.d.f. or chipboard, which swells & crumbles; builder says it is full of formaldehyde, resins, timber preservatives etc, so would imagine it wouldn't be good for hookbills.

I read on an aviary website about recycling the empty seed husks into nestboxes to control the moisture. I've been using this method for the last two seasons with great success, still changing it every few days, depending on the number of chicks in the box = clean feet & much drier nest boxes. Drilling airholes certainly helped too. I'd be really concerned about using m.d.f. or chipboard, which swells & crumbles; builder says it is full of formaldehyde, resins, timber preservatives etc, so would imagine it wouldn't be good for hookbills.

 

 

You are right about the wood. A lot of breeders use plywood boxes but these also are glued together with glues that arent safe. Mine are plywood but so far the birds dont chew them.