# Nesting box help



## jennifer (May 14, 2013)

So my hens scratch the straw out and their eggs have tiny cracks. Not through buy visible... Can they be eatin still? Also is there a pad I can put in the box??


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## jennifer (May 14, 2013)

Bee help!!!!!


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## Itsacutefuzzball (Mar 16, 2013)

jennifer said:


> So my hens scratch the straw out and their eggs have tiny cracks. Not through buy visible... Can they be eatin still? Also is there a pad I can put in the box??


You can eat cracked eggs, and I wouldn't put a pad just more straw.
(Btw, I'm no Bee, but I know some stuff... )


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## jennifer (May 14, 2013)

Awesome! Thankyou.! I've been piling the straw in its like they scratch right to the bottom... I don't get it


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## jennifer (May 14, 2013)

Thanks fuzzball!!!


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## Itsacutefuzzball (Mar 16, 2013)

Your welcome!


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## LittleWings (Jul 15, 2013)

I eat cracked eggs also. 
I use an astro-turf type padding in the bottom of the nesting boxes. Mine scratch the shavings out too.


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## jennifer (May 14, 2013)

Good help!!!!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

This is a continual process with chickens as they form their desired nest shape when they lay. If the lip of the nesting box is deep enough the bedding shouldn't come out too much, just get displaced. 

It helps to use a mixture of bedding materials so that some are heavier, smaller and harder to displace, while some is grass like and something they like to fuss with and rearrange. I find, in general, that they fuss with the shavings less but the hay maintains a nesting bowl shape better than shavings, so I often use them both at once. 

If your eggs are cracking due to thin shells(which is normal at this time of year), it could be they are trying to cover or eat the egg residue so as to clean the nest, so keep checking the nest for such things and just remove those spots yourself so the hens won't have to do so. I check nesting material each time I gather eggs to remove any poop, egg debris, etc. so that my eggs remain cleaner and the nests are less disturbed by the hens.


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## camel934 (Sep 9, 2012)

I only use straw in my nesting boxes and they always seem to scratch it down to the wood and lay there, but I haven't had any issues with thin egg shells. In fact, my sister commented today on how thick the egg shells are.


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## Blazer917 (Jul 23, 2013)

We eat cracked eggs if they're just like surface cracks and didn't actually break through the inside. I don't find many cracked eggs anymore. I used to gets lots of broken ones when I used straw in the nests. They'd scratch it all out and lay on the wood, then all the chickens would seem to think that was the only nest they should use. So eggs got cracked. Well, I bought a bag of shavings from Tractor Supply and that solves the problem. They don't scratch the shavings out like they did the straw.


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## jennifer (May 14, 2013)

Thanks! I will try the mixture . I think the sides of the box are to short. I'm going to put a 2x2 in the front and see if that helps as well!


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