nesting material

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by ValencianFigs

I just use dried grass. The pigeons don't mind using it too. So, I wouldn't see anything wrong with dried grass. Pine needles are easy to find. Just go to an are that has them, and collect them.I don't use it because it looks un comfy for me. But I don't think that it will do any harm.

hay is dried grass

[grifter]

Those pine needles sound like a real bargain. I'll have to try them if I ever use up all of these tobacco stems. Pine trees are not common to this area of North Central Texas but they are very common in East Texas.

[ValencianFigs]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

hay is dried grass

Well they look different to me :P. Anyways I have seen some hay or straw for sale at lowes or home depot They are in bales.

[grifter]

There are probably a dozen or more different varieties of hay. It can be made out of everything from bermuda grass to alfalfa or clover. One thing I can tell you about it, it's not any fun loading it on to a trailer in the hot Texas sun after it's been bailed.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by blackknight01

what you guys think of this
http://www.pinestraw.com/pine-straw-standard.html#order

I have checked out that site before, but there are just too expensive. So I use Straw or Timothy hay. I have also used tobacco stems.
If you buy the Timothy hay, You get the big bag with the long pieces. Sometimes they sell it in smaller bags, but it's cut a lot shorter. You kinda have to check it out first.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by ptras

In a couple months, I'm gonna have about $4,000 worth of pine needles in my yard. We had so many last year, I was raking them into piles and the kids made a giant "bird's nest" out of them.

Are they the short needles, or the long ones. The short ones are no good. The birds won't even bother with them. I do use those to mulch under the aviary, and just rake it up now and then and put down new.

[ptras]

Originally Posted by Jay3

Are they the short needles, or the long ones. The short ones are no good. The birds won't even bother with them. I do use those to mulch under the aviary, and just rake it up now and then and put down new.

Nope...white pine needles. About as long as pine needles get. My yard is surrounded by sixty-plus foot tall white pines. I would cut them all down if I could, but they're all on neighbors' properties. Maybe I should make the neighbors come rake their pine needles!

[Jay3]

Oh, how I would love to have them around here. We only see the short needles around here. If I were close to you, I would love to come rake them and bag them up for my birds. You're lucky!

[spirit wings]

how can one part of Massachusetts not have white pine trees and another part does...lol.. it is a wide state though..but those pines are all over the eastern US.... have you checked landscaping places for bales of it, jay3.


"Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia."

[ValencianFigs]

Originally Posted by grifter

There are probably a dozen or more different varieties of hay. It can be made out of everything from bermuda grass to alfalfa or clover. One thing I can tell you about it, it's not any fun loading it on to a trailer in the hot Texas sun after it's been bailed.

Just thinking about it sounds tough.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

how can one part of Massachusetts not have white pine trees and another part does...lol.. it is a wide state though..but those pines are all over the eastern US.... have you checked landscaping places for bales of it, jay3.


"Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia."

No. I never even knew they sold them that way until you mentioned it a while back, but I just thought that it was in your area that they did that. Honestly, I have looked, and asked others around here, and they have never seen them either. I'll call around though and check. Thanks. Land scaping places, huh? Okay.

[ptras]

Originally Posted by Jay3

No. I never even knew they sold them that way until you mentioned it a while back, but I just thought that it was in your area that they did that. Honestly, I have looked, and asked others around here, and they have never seen them either. I'll call around though and check. Thanks. Land scaping places, huh? Okay.

Jay3 - There must be stands of White Pines in the area that you live in. They are the most commonly found tree in Massachusetts, as all old-growth forest starts out as pine forest.

Do you have a town forest, Audubon trail or nature/game reserve near you? Chances are, there are White Pines in them if there are. Don't know what the forest rangers would say about you bagging some.

[Jaysen]

Look for a "you cut" christmas tree farm. White pines are found there as well. The dead needles are a fire hazard so you should be able to get them for free.

[ptras]

Originally Posted by Jaysen

Look for a "you cut" christmas tree farm. White pines are found there as well. The dead needles are a fire hazard so you should be able to get them for free.

Not sure if a Christmas tree farm would have White Pines. White Pines are what I refer to as "toilet brush trees." They have a long trunk (forty feet or more) with a small "brush" of branches up high. They usually don't have that classic Christmas tree shape. The only long-needled Christmas tree I am aware of is the Scotch Pine. I don't think Scotch Pine needles would make good nesting material, as they are hard and sharp.

[Jaysen]

Up here I get a white pine every year. Keep in mind these are only 3-6 years old so they are pretty short. I will ask the farm how they feel about collecting needles. Last year the let us take as many cutoffs as we wanted. Fire hazard. Save them time and money to let me take them for free.