Cackle Hatchery Nesting Pads: Review (2024)
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Nesting pads are a great solution for nesting box bedding because of their ease of use and softness. Cackle Hatchery is a family-owned hatchery based in Lebanon, MO that manufactures and markets its own nesting box pads.
We tested their nesting pads and added the Cackle Hatchery Nesting Pads to our ‘Best Nesting Box Pads‘ listing as the best budget option. Let’s review the pros and cons of the Cackle Hatchery nesting box pads.
- High-quality & durable
- Sustainable brand
- Cheapest option
- 6-pack is more expensive
- Less appealing packaging
Durability
Every chicken keeper has their favorite nesting box bedding, some prefer straw or hay, and others prefer wood shavings. These loose materials are cheap but make the nesting area messy. Chickens have an instinctual desire to create a bowl-shaped nest in their designated boxes, and they will continue to rearrange the bedding until they are satisfied.
That is where nesting box pads can make a difference. These pads are made from pressed aspen excelsior fibers, and the paper backing keeps the pad intact. There is less spillage and mess.
On average, a Cackle Hatchery nesting pad will last several weeks to even months, depending on how active your hens are during laying and how often the nesting box is used.
Materials
Aspen is a renewable and sustainable source, making these pads a planet-friendly choice. They are biodegradable so you can compost them after use.
The paper backing is brown kraft paper, ensuring the pad remains intact and collects moisture from the hens or freshly laid eggs.
Comfort
A chicken coop’s nesting boxes should be a safe and cozy environment for your hens to lay their eggs. However, they can quickly become unclean and uncomfortable without appropriate maintenance or suitable materials. Straw will begin to rot, and hay or pine shavings will get messy as the loose materials will be kicked out of the nesting box.
This is where nesting box pads come in. The soft compressed aspen material is a perfect cushion for your hens to sit on while laying. Next, you can easily manipulate the pads by pulling apart the material to fit every nesting box size.
Cackle Hatchery’s organic aspen nesting pads deliver a plush, cushioned surface that is gentle on chickens’ feet and eggs. With a thickness of 1 inch, the nesting pads offer additional cushioning to minimize the risk of egg breakage.
Nesting Pads in a Chick Brooder
According to Cackle Hatchery, their pads can also be used for chick brooder homes to provide stable footing for chicks. We tried out the nesting pads in a chick brooder to track whether they kept their promise.
We removed the brown paper from the aspen fibers for the brooder and broke up the raw material of 3 pads to cover the surface of a 48”x48” brooder.
The more the chicks run and play around on top of the material, the more they pack it down and compress it. This created a leveled surface for the chicks to be on–thus holding up the claim that it provides stable footing for chicks.
As chicks are messy and poop everywhere, you want these nesting pads to be easy to clean or replace. And they are. If any particular area becomes too heavily soiled, it is simple to pick out the dirty areas in one clump of material and dispose of it.
Additionally, you don’t want bedding in their feed and water constantly. If you’ve ever brooded in pine shavings before, you know the mess they make in feed and water.
The nesting pad material is not as loose or small as pine shavings and, therefore, is held together well so that the material does not contaminate feed and water.
Thickness
The thickness of a nesting box pad is an important factor. It influences the pad’s comfort, absorbency, durability, and lifespan. The Cackle Hatchery nesting box pads have a thickness of 1 inch, using top-quality aspen excelsior.
This feature guarantees the chickens’ comfort and contributes to the overall effectiveness of the pad within the nesting box.
Thick nesting box pads have a cushioning effect that reduces the risk of egg breakage. The pad’s thickness helps absorb the impact of the eggs, providing a soft surface. Broken eggs can lead to egg-eating hens, a habit that is hard to unlearn, so the softer the nesting box surface, the better.
Affordable
Nesting box pads are more expensive than other loose materials such as straw, hay, and wood shavings. But that doesn’t mean they are overpriced. Despite the initial higher cost, nesting pads are a worthwhile investment since they are long-lasting.
Even if your hens ruin a pad, you can still keep it inside the nesting box for extra cushioning and place a second pad on top.
Next to that, they are also quite easy to clean. If any particular area becomes dirty, simply pick out the dirty area in one clump and dispose of it.
- High-quality & durable
- Sustainable brand
- Cheapest option
- 6-pack is more expensive
- Less appealing packaging
Cackle Hatchery offers affordable nesting pads, the cheapest of all the brands we’ve tested, with the cheapest options being found in larger packages.
When buying a 6-pack of Cackle Hatchery pads you’ll pay around $4 per pad, which is higher than other brands. But the prices will go down to $2,75 per pad in a 12-pack and even $1,9 per pad in a 36-pack.
In comparison, My Favorite Chicken‘s nesting box pads with nesting herbs cost $3.50 per pad, while Eaton Pet & Pasture’s nesting pads cost $3 per pad. This makes the Cackle Hatchery pads the cheapest option without having to compromise on quality.
What’s in the Box?
Unlike the other brands, the Cackle Hatchery nesting pads aren’t shipped in a nice-looking box, but in a plastic bag. There hasn’t been any extra effort made to make the package look appealing or attractive. What you see is what you get, which can explain their lower price as they don’t have to spend any extra money on shipping materials.
Each package of Cackle Hatchery nesting pads contains the number of nesting pads you’ve ordered, all measuring 13 x 13 inches.
Opening the plastic packaging outside is best because many loose materials can fall off the pads. It can be a bit messy to handle during unpacking.
About Cackle Hatchery
Cackle Hatchery is a third-generation family business offering more than 200 varieties of poultry. They specialize in raising purebred poultry and also offer meat chickens or hybrid birds. All chicks and other poultry can be purchased online and shipped to your local post office.
Chick season begins in spring and typically lasts well into the summer months. With chicken-keeping becoming a more and more popular hobby for many poultry enthusiasts, many of their most favored breeds are sold out early in the season.
Cackle Hatchery believes in letting mother nature dictate chick season and, therefore, doesn’t use artificial light or other unnatural methods to encourage their hens.
You can go directly to their website by clicking the following link:
Summary
The Cackle Hatchery nesting box pads were chosen as ‘Best Budget’ pads on our ‘Best Nesting Box Pads’ list. The pads are made from premium aspen excelsior and are 1 inch thick, offering a cushioned and comfortable surface for hens to lay their eggs on.
The Cackle Hatchery nesting pads are affordable, with the price per pad decreasing as the package size increases, making them a cheaper option than other brands on the market.
Overall, the Cackle Hatchery nesting pads offer a soft, hygienic, and cost-effective solution for nesting box pads in chicken coops. To see which other products Cackle Hatchery sells, feel free to visit their website.
If you want to read more Chicken Fans product reviews, please go to our in-depth review articles.
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