# Is there a certain hay for nesting?



## daniel-delarosa (Nov 18, 2011)

My girls are due today and neither one of them has made their nest yet.  I filled the boxes and pushed a nice hole in it four days ago.  One doe hasn't even been in hers and the other one has pulled half of hers out.  It is a Brome mix hay that I have.  Should I go get timothy hay?


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## oneacrefarm (Nov 18, 2011)

daniel-delarosa said:
			
		

> My girls are due today and neither one of them has made their nest yet.  I filled the boxes and pushed a nice hole in it four days ago.  One doe hasn't even been in hers and the other one has pulled half of hers out.  It is a Brome mix hay that I have.  Should I go get timothy hay?


No, it does not really matter as long as it is a grass hay. It should be fine...Mine are doing the same thing...just wasting it...


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## Citylife (Nov 18, 2011)

oneacrefarm said:
			
		

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Do you use hay or straw in your nest boxes?


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## daniel-delarosa (Nov 19, 2011)

Timothy hay is what I put in the nesting boxes.


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## oneacrefarm (Nov 22, 2011)

Citylife said:
			
		

> oneacrefarm said:
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I use coastal hay in the nest boxes. I don't even know where to get straw....


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## Genipher (Nov 22, 2011)

I don't know where to get straw either, so I use Timothy Hay. And Pine Bedding (from Walmart).


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## CCourson05 (Nov 22, 2011)

We have straw here for landscaping. They put it down after construction to prevent erosion. They sometimes use mixed hay too though


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## hoodat (Nov 26, 2011)

Any hay will do but it is important not to have stiff stems, which can poke into the eyes of the kits, a common cause of nest box eye. I prefer orchard grass because it is almost all leaf with vey few stems and easy for the doe to shred if she is so inclined.


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## bunnylovincowgirl (Nov 26, 2011)

I have always used straw, because the does are less inclined to pull it out and eat it.  When the does do pull it out, just put more in.  A few does get serious about nest building early, but I've found that most just play around with it or ignore it until right before kindling time, then they buckle down.


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