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Nesting Material (1 Viewer)

Vick2903

Vick2903

Well-known member
I have discovered that the birds in my garden love my Samoyed dogs fluff!
I put it in an empty Lard feeder and they empty it in a couple of days.
Does anyone want some as my dog is moulting like mad and I dont like throwing the fluff away when it can be used for nesting material.
Last year I covered an entire conifer in it and it looked like it had been snowing but it was all gone within four days!
Let me know if you want some. :hi:
 
Don't need any thanks!
My wife has learnt to groom dogs whom,I assume,no-one else would even touch!She has an antique baby table to stand the hound on and MY garage is like the inside of a tumble drier.I'm sure whenever i garage the car,I can smell burning hair soon after starting up.I do as thee and collected 3 carrier bags of all shades of fur over the last few weeks;I stuff it into squirrel-damaged nut feeders and enjoy the sight of finches and tits prising it out.Observed this spring that the robin has used lighter coloured hair compared to the blackbirds---camaflage for the chicks.
 
Two years ago I painstakingly cut and pulled apart three hessian sacks. The bits were cut into strips approx 1 inch long, then pulled apart into thin strands. What patience, and a complete labour of love!!!!
I did check with both a local BTO Rep and members of my local Wildlife Trust to see if the material in question was suitable. Both gave the go-ahead.
Imagine my dismay over the last two years when this potential nesting material, hung in a conspicuous place adjacent to the regular feeders in an old plastic peanut feeder was totally ignored.
Imagine though the sheer delight to find that both Blue and Great Tits have been using it this year, and I have caught them both in the act, so to speak!!!
Two surprising materials found in the Blue Tits nestbox are matallic foil decorations from some party material which blew into the garden after Xmas, and the green outer fluff off a tennis ball left on the back lawn!
Love-all with no advantage to anyone. Sorry - couldn't resist it!
 
When "my" Blue Tits were nest building, the female was almost solely using hanging basket lining NEXT to the nestbox (actual hanging basket next to box) for the nest! Almost no moss was taken in, I think I only saw about five visits that did. Then last week I saw her pulling apart some blue stringy fibres from my dog's toy on the grass!
 
I am offering nest materials for the first time, in a suet cage. I will try many different materials and see what they take, and what they leave. So far I have offered:

  • cotton balls, pulled apart lightly
  • long thin strips of very light corrugated cardboard
  • padded mailer gut (unsure about this, it was kind of dusty)
I just put it out today, so we will see.

Any other suggestions? I hear there is a yarn controversy, that some are against it because it might find its way around legs or throats. Also, read to only use natural materials, nothing synthetic.

I'd like to hear what others think and have found the birds really like. Obviously, at this time of year especially, we want to keep them warm. But when some materials get wet, they can be hazardous, or at least, no longer warmth-inducing. For instance, I considered strips of old cotton socks but then the material felt wrong to me, like it wouldn't weather well in a nest. It might pick up too much moisture.
 
Once i cut my hair and i took it out side were the woods were and shook it off the dust pan. and i looked out side a day later.And a eastern bluebird was building its nest out of it! :eek!: :eek!:
 
Transformer said:
... Any other suggestions? I hear there is a yarn controversy, that some are against it because it might find its way around legs or throats. Also, read to only use natural materials, nothing synthetic...
Click to expand...

I have seen nestlings that died because they became entangled by string (and by fishing line)...

String or yarn is probably OK if cut into pieces too small to form "nooses".

As for dog fluff...
I used to know a lady that made sweaters (pullovers?) out of dog "fluff" (Samoyed & Keshond).
 
I've heard that dryer lint works well.
No experience with it...but....I'm willing to try.
The only thing I worry about, is if the dryer lint as been tainted with softer sheets.
Another thing, am wondering where, when, and how to put it up and make it available for
the birds?
 
Vick2903 said:
I have discovered that the birds in my garden love my Samoyed dogs fluff!
I put it in an empty Lard feeder and they empty it in a couple of days.
Does anyone want some as my dog is moulting like mad and I dont like throwing the fluff away when it can be used for nesting material.
Last year I covered an entire conifer in it and it looked like it had been snowing but it was all gone within four days!
Let me know if you want some. :hi:
Click to expand...
I use combings from my 2 old english sheepdogs it goes like wildfire
 
I heard that dryer lint turns into a cement-like substance if it gets wet (unless it's a lot of dog/cat hair)... I'll give my dogs bed a bath & dry & use the lint. But he's a beagle, so there won't be as much as I'd like.

I like the cottonball idea & small pieces of yarn too.

This will be my first year offering nesting materials, so I am glad to hear ideas.

Vicky, that's a neat idea you have! If I were closer, I'd take you up on it. :)

ETA: I did a search & thought I'd share what I found:

String or Yarn (No longer than 3-4 inches)
Animal or Human Hair
Small Twigs or Strips of Bark
Straw
Narrow Strips of Soft Cloth
Feathers
Stuffing from Old Furniture
Dryer Lint
Excelsior
Shredded Cotton
Grass
Pine Needles
Sawdust Chips
Shredded Paper
Thin Strips of Fabric Softener Sheets
 
Last edited:
Cotton isn't a good material because when it gets wet, it stays wet and mats down (similar to dryer lint). Animal fur/hair or wool fibers/bits of fabric will still provide insulation even when wet. :t:
 
Katy Penland said:
Cotton isn't a good material because when it gets wet, it stays wet and mats down (similar to dryer lint). Animal fur/hair or wool fibers/bits of fabric will still provide insulation even when wet. :t:
Click to expand...



I grow pampass grass for the birds to use they love it. The house sparrows started using it the other day before the snow. There r about 12 plooms on it now and they will use the lot. Then they will go to the next door garden and use her minature pampass grass all up. In the meantime i often go cut some extra plooms from my brothers plant which is not used and stick them up in mine, just to make sure the birds r comfy,,,,,lol.
 
Ok, thanks. No cotton & no dryer lint.

When is the best time to start offering nesting materials? March? April? I don't want to put stuff out there than can be ruined by the elements from sitting out there for awhile if their not ready to use it. This will be the first time that I am doing this & I'm not really sure.
 
SixxStar said:
When is the best time to start offering nesting materials? March? April? I don't want to put stuff out there than can be ruined by the elements from sitting out there for awhile if their not ready to use it. This will be the first time that I am doing this & I'm not really sure.
Click to expand...

I was wondering if someone could advise the best time to start putting this stuff out there for them. Thanks!
 
the dam starlings this morning came in and took some of my daffodil flowers and took them up into someones attic! how dare they. i assumed they are using them as nesting material??
 
I took down some dead Ivy on my back wall last week, and found this morning a Mistle Thrush was finishing the job for me. It was pulling the short brittle dead Ivy off the top of the wall and bringing it to its nest site which incidentally is within view of our bedroom window in the fork of a tree.
 
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