Goat hair

[gomer]

Has anyone used goat hair or any other animal hair as nesting material please. I have had some one offer me goat hair as nesting material. She tells me her canarys have been using it to build nests. I was wondering if there is any risk of the hair getting wrapped around the legs of birds,Or if its of any value to use ? I think Alpaca and samoyed dog has been used in the past ?

[E Orix]

I have always thought that any natural fibre was fine but any synthetic fibre a big NO NO because
it takes too long to break down.

[GregH]

from the Blog of Arenas del Mar Beach and Nature Resort

Everything has a risk and it's up to you to balance the probability of something happening against the consequences of letting it happen. Spiderweb is used by many birds to build nests but as the photo of a Chestnut caught in a orb-weaver's web shows; that just because it's natural doesn't mean that it's not dangerous. Finches don't use spiderweb so I wouldn't provide it for them but if I bred honeyeaters, wrens, mistletoe birds or sunbirds providing webs would be a necessity but wrapped around a stick would be less hazardous than letting a colony of spiders build inside the aviary. The same might be said of a nice warm, fluffy nest lining of asbestos fibres - useful, natural but potentially deadly to the birds and the owner! I imagine that goat hair would be quite coarse and would not wrap around a birds leg but long alpaca fibres might. This risk could be reduced by keeping staple (fibre) lengths short.

[Niki_K]

I have long hair, and have found some strands of it being used in my zebbie nests with no problems. Mind you, I'm not going to cut my hair off for them! I have also seen shorter pieces of horse hair being used in finch nests, so I would think goat would be fine.

[Trilobite]

I have provided dog hair (up to 2 inches long) from a friends huskies - no issue
I have used short clipped wool about the same size as above - no issue
I have used horse hair and lost young and adult birds when it became wrapped around legs and neck - not good - horse hair or very long hair (alpaca, human, cow etc) has the potential tobe a death trap - avoid it if you can.

[Mortisha]

i use my horses winter hair from their coats, but never hair from the mane or tail - far too long & strong, it can cut just like nylon.
I 've use all sorts of animal hair - but stick to short hair that can be gathered in tufts by the birds.
The wild birds here regularly pluck the cows and goats for nesting material.
I would't use any hair more than 3cm long to avoid entanglement and it getting wrapped around their legs/toes.

[finchbreeder]

My canaries love getting into the safety door area, and collecting the spiderweb for use. And like Nikki, I have long hair and occassionally find the birds have used a hair or two that has been shed while in the avairys. But caution against this as I also had to rescue a bengo who was hanging by her leg from a nest, and one of my hairs. Took a while to figure out what was happening, as my hair is so fine and fair I could not see anything at first. And it was very very difficult to get off.
LML

[Keven S]

My cup nesters use heaps of it.
I have an endless supply of it can see a $ or two to made here
I buy and on sell in excess of 100 thousand a year.

[willy]

A goat trader Keven? Are they still worth a bit?
Willy.

[gomer]

My cup nesters use heaps of it.
I have an endless supply of it can see a $ or two to made here
I buy and on sell in excess of 100 thousand a year.

I suppose you could call it organic hair aswell being readily available your way. I take it they are the feral type for the middle eastern market ? They come through the port here along with sheep.