6 Best Herbal Nesting Pads For Pest Control That Old-Timers Swear By
Keep your coop pest-free with time-tested wisdom. Discover 6 herbal nesting pads that old-timers swear by for naturally repelling mites and lice.
You walk into the coop on a warm afternoon and the air is thick with that familiar, musty chicken smell, plus a few too many flies buzzing around. You check the nesting boxes and find a hen looking stressed, kicking her bedding around. This is where the old wisdom really shines, offering a simple, fragrant solution that modern chicken keepers are rediscovering for pest control and coop comfort.
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Why Old-Timers Use Herbs in Nesting Boxes
Long before chemical sprays and powders were an option, farmers used what they had on hand. Aromatic herbs pulled from the garden weren’t just for the kitchen; they were a first line of defense in the barn and coop. The strong scents of plants like mint, lavender, and wormwood are pleasant to us but offensive to mites, lice, and flies, creating an environment they’d rather avoid.
This isn’t just about repelling pests, though. A calm, clean-smelling nesting box is more inviting to a laying hen. Stressed chickens can lay fewer eggs or start laying in hidden spots around the yard. A sprinkle of calming herbs like chamomile or lavender can help create a sanctuary, encouraging your hens to lay where you want them to.
The goal here isn’t to create a sterile, bug-proof forcefield. That’s unrealistic. The point is to make the nesting box an unappealing place for pests to settle and multiply. It’s a preventative measure that works in concert with good coop hygiene, tipping the balance in your flock’s favor.
Treats for Chickens: Potent Aromatic Blend
This is one of the most popular loose-leaf herbal mixes, and for good reason. It’s a powerful potpourri of spearmint, lavender, rosemary, calendula, and more. The aroma is immediate and strong, making it excellent for quickly freshening a coop that’s starting to smell a little ripe.
The biggest advantage is its flexibility. You can sprinkle it directly into nesting boxes, mix it with pine shavings for the entire coop floor, or even add it to a dust bath area. Because it’s a loose blend, you control the amount, using a little for maintenance or a lot if you’re tackling a fly problem.
The tradeoff, of course, is tidiness. Hens will scratch through it, and it can get mixed in with manure and soiled bedding more quickly than a self-contained pad. You’ll need to refresh it more often, but for sheer aromatic power and versatility, it’s hard to beat.
Eaton Pet & Pasture’s Nesting Pad Liners
Provide a comfortable and clean laying environment for your hens with Eaton Pet & Pasture Nesting Pads. Made from sustainably harvested aspen, these 13x13 pads help minimize egg breakage and simplify egg collection.
If you value convenience above all else, these pads are your answer. Eaton’s liners are typically made from excelsior wood shavings (aspen fibers) pressed into a neat square and infused with herbs. There’s no measuring, no sprinkling, and no mess. You just lift out the old one and drop in a new one.
These pads excel at providing a clean, structured base for the nest. The woody texture gives eggs a soft landing and helps absorb moisture from droppings, keeping eggs cleaner. The herbal infusion provides a subtle, pest-deterring scent without the scattered mess of a loose mix.
The downside is a less potent aroma compared to a fresh handful of loose herbs. The scent is baked in and fades over time. This is the perfect choice for the busy hobby farmer who prioritizes speed and cleanliness during coop chores. It gets the job done with zero fuss.
Hen Holistics’ Lavender & Mint Nesting Pads
This product takes a more targeted approach. Instead of a broad potpourri of a dozen herbs, it focuses on two of the most effective and well-known: lavender and mint. Lavender is renowned for its calming properties, while the sharp scent of mint is particularly effective at repelling flies and rodents.
These pads offer a strong, specific scent profile. If you have a problem with agitated hens or a particularly bad fly season, this focused blend can be more effective than a general-purpose mix. Like other pads, they are convenient and help keep the nesting box tidy.
The only real consideration is that you’re putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. If your local pests aren’t bothered by lavender or mint, you won’t get the same repellent effect. However, for most common coop pests, this is a powerful and proven combination.
Manna Pro’s Fresh Flakes for Coop Comfort
While not a "nesting pad" in the traditional sense, Manna Pro’s Fresh Flakes deserve a spot on this list because many old-timers achieve the same effect by using aromatic bedding. This product consists of pine shavings infused with eucalyptus, cedar, and oregano essential oils. It’s designed as a whole-coop bedding solution.
Its primary strength is its multi-functionality. You use it everywhere—on the floor and in the nesting boxes—creating a consistent, pest-deterring environment throughout the entire coop. The pine and cedar are excellent at absorbing moisture and controlling ammonia odor, while the eucalyptus is a strong respiratory-clearing scent that also repels insects.
This isn’t for the purist who wants to use whole, dried herbs. It relies on essential oils, which are a more modern application of an old idea. But for a practical, all-in-one approach to coop freshness and pest management, it’s an incredibly effective and widely available option.
Farmer’s Helper Calendula & Wormwood Mix
This is a blend that leans heavily into traditional, potent herbs. Calendula is known for its skin-soothing properties (great for hens) and its ability to repel asparagus beetles and other pests. But the real powerhouse here is wormwood, a famously bitter herb with a long history as a potent insect repellent.
This is the mix you turn to when you have a persistent mite or lice problem that gentler herbs aren’t solving. The sharp, pungent aroma of wormwood is a serious deterrent. It’s a no-nonsense blend for keepers who want maximum pest-fighting power from their herbs.
A word of caution is necessary. Wormwood can be toxic if ingested in large amounts, so this isn’t a mix you should scatter around for chickens to eat. Kept in the nesting box and mixed with other bedding, it’s perfectly safe and highly effective. It’s a tool, and like any powerful tool, it should be used with respect.
Backyard Barnyard’s All-Season Herbal Pad
This type of product offers a great middle ground between a loose mix and a simple infused pad. It’s typically a compressed pad of straw or hay embedded with a wide variety of dried herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, and mint. It’s built for durability.
The key benefit here is longevity. The compressed pad doesn’t get scratched apart as easily as loose bedding, and the herbs release their scent more slowly over time. This makes it a fantastic "set it and forget it" option for maintaining a baseline level of pest deterrence through the seasons.
The tradeoff is that the scent isn’t as immediately powerful as a fresh handful of a loose blend. It’s more of a slow-and-steady release. This is an ideal choice for general maintenance in a coop that doesn’t have a major existing pest issue.
How to Refresh and Replace Nesting Box Herbs
Herbs don’t last forever. Their aromatic oils fade, and once you can no longer smell them, you can be sure the pests can’t either. The frequency of replacement depends entirely on your coop’s conditions—a damp, crowded coop will require more frequent changes than a dry, spacious one.
A good rule of thumb is to check your nesting boxes weekly and plan on a full replacement monthly. For loose herbs, you can often "refresh" the box by simply adding a new handful on top and mixing it in. For pads, you can extend their life by sprinkling some loose herbs over them once their initial scent has faded.
Most importantly, remember that herbs are a tool, not a magic bullet. The single most effective form of pest control is a clean, dry coop. Herbal nesting pads work best when they are part of a regular cleaning routine. They assist your efforts by making the nesting box an uninviting place for pests to get a foothold in the first place.
Ultimately, using herbs in your nesting boxes is a simple, time-honored practice that improves the health and comfort of your flock. Whether you choose the convenience of a pad or the potency of a loose mix, you’re tapping into a piece of practical wisdom that just plain works. It’s one of the easiest ways to make your coop a better, fresher, and safer place for your hens to lay.
