Mix your Own Nesting Box Herbs for Chickens

Save money by mixing your own herbs and edible flowers for your nesting boxes and chicken coop.

dried herbs in heart-shaped ceramic dish

Everybody loves sprinkling aromatic herbs in their chicken coop. Am I right?
Fresh or dried, so many different types of herbs and edible flowers look pretty, smell nice and are even thought to keep rodents and other pests out of your coop.

Dried Nesting Box Herbs for Chickens

I started selling my own custom mix of nesting herbs years ago.
Initially I was harvesting and drying the herbs right from my own herb garden, and then once business really started to pick up, I started buying bulk dried herbs and packaging them up.
I eventually came up with the name Coop Confetti which I think described the gorgeous medley of colors and scents perfectly!
And shortly after that ended up hiring a company to package and distribute for me (which sounded like a better idea than it ultimately ended up being), but I was excited when my Coop Confetti won the Blue Ribbon for Best in Show for the 2018 Country Living Pet Awards!

Anyway, long story short, it took awhile, but Coop Confetti is back on the market, so if you don't want to mix your own herbs, I've got you covered.

Mix your Own Nesting Box Herbs for Chickens

So I wanted to share with you all just how easy (and inexpensive!) it is to mix your own herbs and give your chickens some aromatherapy in their coop!
Honest.

There are loads of different products on the market now in the dried herb niche. And they're all just about the same - likely most even source their herbs from the same place!

But instead of paying an average of $14-17 for just 5 ounces of dried herbs, you can easily mix your own for around $20 a pound!

Link to purchase dried herbs in bulk

That's a huge savings!
Sure, your initial outlay will be around $125 or so, but buying the herbs listed below you'll have 7 pounds of dried herbs that will last you a very long time...and would have ultimately set you back well over $200 at retail prices!
$200!
I'm sure you can think of better ways to spend your money...
There's no need to pay for fancy packaging or a popular brand name.....

row of wooden spoons filled with dried herbs

Dried Nesting Box Herbs
Most of the commercial products you'll find for sale all contain the same, or a similar, selection of herbs.
These are the most common ones you'll find in the bags. They all offer specific benefits in the coop and are pretty colors with a strong aroma.
You don't have to start with them all, and you absolutely can mix and match and experiment to find the mix that you prefer! That's the beauty of making your own.
These are the herbs I like to use in my chicken nesting boxes |
Calendula - helps to repel pests
Chamomile - helps to calm laying hens
Cornflower - pretty color, expensive, but a little goes a long way
Lavender - helps to calm laying hens, repels pests
Peppermint - helps to repel rodents
Rose petals - smells nice
Rosemary - helps to repel pests

Spearmint - helps to repel rodents
You'll also need:
Plastic tote for storage
Wooden spoon for mixing
Aspen nesting pads (not necessary, but my choice for nesting box bedding)
Then it's as easy as opening the bags, pouring all the contents into the plastic tote, and mixing them up with the spoon.

Link to purchase dried herbs in bulk

metal scoop with dried herbs on shavings

Oh, and a little feed scoop or measuring cup will also come in handy as well to scoop the herbs out when you're ready to refresh the nesting boxes.
Store your tote in a cool, dry spot and the aroma of the herbs should last for months. I also like to keep a small container right in the storage area of my coop for quick refreshing.

Because I love to sprinkle the dried herbs liberally in my nesting boxes and on the coop floor any time I clean - or in between any time my coop needs a bit of refreshing.
So do yourself a favor and start mixing your own nesting herbs.
Your chickens will love them - and with all the money you'll save, you can buy more chickens! How's that for a win-win.