Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads

FAQ

• How often should Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads be changed?

  It depends on how many hens you have and how they use the nesting boxes. It could be a few weeks to a couple months.  

  For best results, we recommend maintaining with routine cleaning rather than frequent pad replacement. For easier cleaning, add a little bedding on top of your nesting pads. When it’s time to clean, rather than handpick the soiled parts, take out the pad and shake it. The added layer of bedding will prolong the life of your pads and make shaking excrement from the woven fibers easier.

  Because hemp fibers are more durable than straw or other wood shavings, the nesting pads break down much slower. 

• My hens won't use the new nesting pads, they're even laying eggs on the floor. What do I do?

  Chickens hate change! Which is very relatable, we think. Chickens are creatures of strong habit, especially about their nesting boxes. A change in material — even an upgrade — can cause a flock to protest by laying elsewhere for days or weeks. This is completely normal and almost always temporary.

  The most reliable fix is a gradual introduction: sprinkle a handful of their familiar bedding on top of the hemp pad so they encounter the new texture slowly rather than all at once. After about a week, reduce the familiar material by half. Most flocks have fully accepted the pad by week two or three.

  If you have a stubborn holdout, try placing a ceramic or wooden decoy egg in the box — it signals to hens that this is an active laying spot and often does the trick. Heavy breeds like Australorps, Brahmas, and Orpingtons tend to be more particular about nesting changes and may just need a little extra time.

  Give it 2–3 weeks before drawing a conclusion. The adjustment period is real but short, and most customers who work through the transition are glad they did.

• Why is my hen scratching or tearing the pad?

  Nothing is wrong — this is one of the most natural things a hen does. Before laying, hens instinctively rake and scratch their nesting material to shape it into a nest bowl. It's called pre-laying nesting behavior, and every hen does it. With loose material like hay or shavings, scratching just rearranges things. With a pad, that same motion can create a depression or hole in the center.

  A small depression in the center is normal — that's the nest bowl she's built. If your hen is a vigorous scratcher and the hole is getting large enough that eggs might fall through to bare wood, the fix is simple: add a thin layer of hemp bedding underneath the pad. The pad sits on top and stays in place, while the bedding underneath fills any gaps and cushions eggs before they reach the hard surface. This pad-over-loose-bedding setup works especially well for heavy breeds — Australorps, Orpingtons, Brahmas — who tend to be more enthusiastic nest builders.

• There are hemp fibers sticking to my eggs — is that normal?

  Yes, and it's fixable. Fresh eggs have a natural protective coating called the bloom that is slightly tacky for the first few hours after laying. Natural fibers — hemp, straw, flax — can cling to it. This is a characteristic of all natural fiber nesting materials, not a defect in the pad.

  A gentle wipe with a dry cloth or soft egg brush removes fibers easily. We'd recommend not washing your eggs: the bloom is a natural barrier that extends shelf life, and rinsing it off shortens it. Once the bloom has dried — usually within a couple of hours of laying — fibers are much less likely to cling.

  If you sell eggs and need a cleaner presentation, placing a very thin layer of hemp bedding on top of the pad gives a slight buffer between the egg and the pad fibers without sacrificing cushioning.

• How is Hemp Bedding different from Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads?

  Hemp Bedding and Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads serve two different purposes and are made differently as a result.

  The purpose of Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads is to provide a cushion in your nesting boxes, reducing egg breakage and keeping your nesting boxes cleaner and dryer. As a result, pads are made from hemp fibers which are long-lasting, yet soft and pliable. Hemp fibers come from the outer layer of the hemp stalk, like bark. They are durable, stringy fibers that are woven together onto a 12”x12” pad that is resistant to rot.

  The purpose of Hemp Bedding is to keep your entire coop clean, dry, and comfortable. It comes from the woody core of the stalk, called hemp hurd for its absorbency. Our hemp bedding is chopped into small chips for incredible softness. Bedding does provide cushion, however chickens often scratch and kick it out of nesting boxes, making the Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads a perfect solution.

• Should I use a bedding material with the Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads?

  You absolutely can use both in your nesting boxes. Since a pad stays put, it is an all-around win—less egg breakage and less mess. You can add bedding to your nesting pads for extra comfort, especially in the colder months. 

  If your hens are heavy scratchers, try flipping the setup: place a thin layer of hemp bedding underneath the pad. This gives them something to scratch and rearrange without working through the pad itself, and extends pad life significantly.

• Are Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads compostable?

  Yes! Grubbly Farms Hemp Fiber Nesting Pads are 100% all natural and biodegradable. Our hemp is washed but never chemically treated. Fibers are bound by an all-natural, sugar-based adhesive. 

• Is hemp bedding safe if ingested?

  Hemp is a natural, non-toxic material and will not harm chickens if small amounts are ingested. Our hemp is not chemically treated. Chickens may naturally peck at it but if your flock seems especially interested in munching on their bedding or nesting pads, make sure you are offering them grit and foraging snacks to combat boredom or nutrient deficiency. Even though hemp bedding comes from the same family of plants as marijuana, it does not contain significant levels of the psychoactive elements found in cannabis plants. 

• Does hemp bedding attract pests? 

  No. Hemp bedding does not attract pests, rather, quite the opposite. Hemp hurds contain natural pesticides calledcaryophyllene and humulene. These compounds enable the plant to be grown without insecticides since they naturally repel pests and parasites.