female scratching

[diar_sndi]

Hey everyone!!!
I think its a breeding season in my country and I noticed my female few days ago start going inside the nesting box and scratching and shes taken all the wood shaving out,shes making lots of mess and the male goes inside sometimes right after she gets out of the nesting box and they keep doing the same thing few times a day in the mornings. what does all that mean is she getting the nest box ready for breeding?? Btw my birds r around 4 yrs old

[AJPeter]

My Alex hen started to scratch the floor paper like a dog, and she threw out all the wood chips from the nesting box, l came to the conlcusion she was restless because later she laid 6 eggs, they were very light and he bashed holes in them almost immediately, then she had a rest for 10 days and laid four more, they were heavy, she accidentally broke one cleaning the nesting box, l accidentally broke one moving the nesting box, one was broke and no one has owned up and one she laid from the top of the cage and it broke when it landed. I found letting her rip up paper for the nesting box was best.

Sorry l cannot be more help

[diar_sndi]

Thanx for the reply, so shes gonna lay egg soon
Well where do u place the paper like inside the nesting box?

[AJPeter]

I just let the hen rip it up just inside the box, it was sort of private she did not want a public spectacle!

[InTheAir]

I am not a breeder either, but I believe you are being led astray, diar.

I have heard pine shavings are a good meterial for nest box substrate and not to use newspaper.
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =1&t=15577

I hope someone with experience breeding birds can chime in with further (accurate) information.

[diar_sndi]

Thanx everyone, thats wat im using recently (pine shaving)

[AJPeter]

Thank you Claire, your link was very informative l shall be using pine shavings or peat moss from now on.