What to Line Bird Houses with in Winter

Wood Shavings

• Wood shavings and tiny chips of wood provide a great material for lining birdhouses. Fill only the bottom of the birdhouse with wood chips and shavings, leaving an inch or more between the top of the wood shaving layer and the entrance hole. Birds seeking to escape the harsh winter weather will settle into the wood shavings to keep warm. Any type of wood shavings will suffice for birdhouse lining, although the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Service suggests avoiding cedar wood chips. Wood shavings do not need to be removed from the birdhouses in the spring, and they make the houses seem new and more alluring for spring nesters. Cedar chips provide unhealthy, naturally occurring chemicals not recommended for nestling birds.

Paper

• The President of Wildlife Gardening Adventures, Jim Gallion, recommends using paper as a lining material for birdhouses. Gallion recommends the use of newspaper, which is free of harsh dyes that may cause illnesses among birds. In addition, the soft ply of newspaper prevents birds from receiving painful or dangerous paper cuts on their legs and bodies. To effectively use newspaper as a birdhouse lining, shred the paper into thin strips, no wider than one-fourth inch. Place the shredded paper inside the birdhouse, leaving an inch of space between the entrance and top of the newspaper lining. Some species of birds may burrow into the shredded newspaper to maintain warmth.

Dried Grasses

• Gallion also recommends using dried grasses for winter birdhouse lining. Using the same methods as before, you will place the dried glasses in the bottom of the birdhouse, leaving the materials loosely packed. You may use hay from bales or even reserved, dried yard trimmings from your own yard. Never place wet or fresh yard clippings as the moisture may cause mold to grow inside the birdhouse. You may also leave these materials in the birdhouse when spring arrives, and the new occupant will use the material to build a nest.