# pine needles



## fadedracer (Jul 8, 2011)

I was wondering if anyone every tried using green pine needles...fresh ones...or do they have to be dry?


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## GrizzleMan (Jan 17, 2013)

Dry ones work better


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## Granny Smith (Jul 16, 2011)

Slightly off topic, but last year I did an experiment where I put several different types of nest making materials in my loft. These included straw, pine needles, oak leaves and twigs. By far, the birds chose oak leaves.


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## WayfPenn (Sep 18, 2010)

There is a study going on about fresh pine needles curing aspergillous in birds. if caught early enough pine needles help, something to do with the oils in fresh cut pine branches and needles

Wayne


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

Thats interesting about pine needles.


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## ERIC K (Mar 29, 2010)

I would think that the fresh pine needles would likely stick to the soft small growing feathers of the babies if they had too much sap in them. I'd stick to the dry things like straw, hay, leaves, old feathers , small sticks etc. I even used shredded paper once but didn't like it because it blew around the loft too much.


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## lawman (Jul 19, 2005)

ERIC K said:


> I would think that the fresh pine needles would likely stick to the soft small growing feathers of the babies if they had too much sap in them. I'd stick to the dry things like straw, hay, leaves, old feathers , small sticks etc. I even used shredded paper once but didn't like it because it blew around the loft too much.


Tobacco straws work best and they have the advantage of also having naturally occuring bug repellant in them.


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## pluviru (Jul 14, 2011)

Dryer ones are better i think. They would absorb some humidity


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## Alex Marvel (Jan 21, 2009)

I use pine needles
The oak leaves sound nice. 
Hope the birds take to them.


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

ive used tobacco stems and dont like them they seam hard ... 

i love the dry pine needles .. i go to the park and load up ... i even leave in some pine cones .. tell the kids the birds play soccer. ive seen some peck at them and i think they add more scent


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

I tried both dry and fresh needles. My pigeons go for the fresh ones. Easy to be picked up I rinse them and try to clean them..sometime i find these white things, like cobweb..i wonder if any little bugs live on pine needles.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

pluviru said:


> Dryer ones are better i think. They would absorb some humidity


If it's drying up, it's drying up and it ain't absorbed any humidity. the fresh ones will dry up in a few weeks.


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## kingdizon (Jan 14, 2013)

i use tobacco stalks,and my pair actually seem to prefer building a nest directly on top of the stalks then to use their nesting bowland i really dont want to move the eggs into the bowl,idk what will happen.
But this fresh pine needle idea sounds interesting,and that pine cone idea too. IDK how they will fair with the tobacco stalks...ill stop by the local park tomorrow and pick some fresh needles and wash em up real good. see if they like it...on a slight side note do you see hens adding material in the nest? Mine does...


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

drier are better but green ones work and they last longer, They also repell red mite


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Either is fine. I just don't like dealing with sap. And you can find pine straw for sale at landscaping places, whereas the fresh ones you'd need a long-leafed pine tree in your yard or somewhere you can gather them. We don't have any at home and gathering them up is just too much trouble. All we have are the shorter ones which are no good for nest building.


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

I use tobacco stems, oak leaves, and pine needles. They all have different preferences. Some of my birds dont even use the material I give them. They prefer to use feathers they get off the ground. I say to each bird it's own and just give them a couple of different types of material.


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

I use neem needles and leaves, a common tree here 

_Neem is a key ingredient in non-pesticidal management (NPM), providing a natural alternative to synthetic pesticides_

_Besides its use in traditional Indian medicine, the neem tree is of great importance for its anti-desertification properties and possibly as a good carbon dioxide sink.[citation needed]
Practitioners of traditional Indian medicine recommend that patients with chicken pox sleep on neem leaves._

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica


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## TALON (Oct 29, 2011)

My birds like pine needles, straw, and tobacco stems!!


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## parrisc (Feb 14, 2007)

I have used both pine needles and tobacco stems, I found the pine needles a lot cheapier.  and work just as good.


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