The Trap Nesting Thread

[ki4got]

Quote:
thanks for that pic... i'm actually planning a breeding pen setup similar to that and wondered about accessing eggs/nests... that's what i needed !!

now i have my pen design in mind, and with my breeders in each pen (4x8 for bantam, 8x8 for lf trio/quads) and trap nests, I should be able to keep track of who laid what pretty well...

if we ever sell the motorcycles then i'll have my 'egg house' set in the horse trailer with trap nests for the free range girls...

 

[MANOZ]

ki4got--- that sounds like a plan....please post pics once you are done

 

[MANOZ]

i have noticed that there is no post or article on breeding preperations. if someone out there has pics on the feather removal procedure please post them in the thread. explaining exactly what feathers and how to go about removing them. i dont wanna just yank them out! how many is to little?, how many is to much? it would be a nice addition to the thread and the site!

 

[cjwaldon]

Um, what? What is this feather removal in preparation for breeding? Does this apply to some breeds more than others?

 

[cjwaldon]

I cut up my one sheet of plywood and made a bank of nest boxes last night. Today I plan to put in the dividers and mount it. It will give me three nest boxes to start with. I'll give the chickens a week to convert to using them instead of dog crates, plastic buckes, etc. Then next weekend hopefully I'll be able to turn them into trap nests. Now the only problem I see is that I'll have incomplete info because I can only trap nest on weekends.

 

[MANOZ]

feather removal is a procedure done to clear the way for easy breeding, feathers removed from vent area to allow for better fertilization. as may be the case in my situation. my roo is not giving me fertilized eggs. this is my last resort before i disown him. he is very healthy but still not doing what i need him to do. only problem i see is maybe they have to many feathers around vent area to allow for successful breeding. i'm just not sure how to procede with this feather removal. i dont wanna rip the birds backside off.....lol......that would be counter-productive.

i'll be curious as to how your weekend setup works out. maybe food coloring in the vent area will give a way to identify the birds' eggs during the week. i think that might help granted that the food coloring actually marks the eggs. may need to re-apply often. i have read that it works very well. if you go this route i dont think you will have incomplete info.

training---i have posted the way that i went about getting them to use the nests, but i would say the easiest way to do that is to just leave an egg in each one, or fake eggs. i personally plan to use fake eggs even though i dont need them. the fake eggs are for any snakes that come my way. i have to young boys that are very much chicken lovers so i'm always on snake alert. at least i know if a snake eats the fake egg,then its a dead snake. so thats kind of my long term safety measure.

cj---please post pics when you are done we need more trap nesters in the world

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
i would say cut the feathers rather than pluck... then they won't be inclined to grow back so quickly.

you might watch for breeding activity, it may be his technique that is lacking... my dorking roo had poor balance control, and the first 6-7 eggs were no good, but the last 5 put in the 'bator are growing well (9 days today), and i put 4 more in yesterday so

 

[galanie]

I agree, trim them. I pulled them first time and was soon greeted with a porcupine butt full of blood feathers. So if they're gonna grow back to fast, I trimmed this time. If you do just a few at a time it doesn't hurt them but a time or two I did get a few too many and .... SWWAAAAAKKKK! LOL can't blame the poor boy!

I think it might apply to some birds more than others, if you've ever had to try to find an Orpingtons vent you'd know what I mean. My dark cornish is ok the way she is, when they breed it's like a shining eye. Hope this isn't all too graphic lol.

But anyway his vent gets very dirty unless I keep him groomed and yes, it makes for better contact and fertility as well.

 

[MANOZ]

i'm gonna cut them in the next few days.

ki4got---those pens are 3x3 each,as it is written in the book. i also think this is a good way to follow the feed consumption of individual birds. in the flock method like i have, one cant be sure of each bird's food ration. this single pen style does have its benifits.

i try to feed in a spread out form. i have a trough that i mix wet mash in,then i transfer the mash to 3 other troughs.this way i have no food fights and everybody has equal time to eat each a good portion. i have found that if i leave the food in one trough that they will fight over who gets to eat out of the trough. a few extra troughs around eliminates all the fuss. i have to do the same when i throw mid-day scratch, in a spread out manner. late after noon also although i feed much heavier to keep them full throughout the night.so my feeding is moderate in the morning [majority of the days its wet mash], a light noon scratch thrown about to make them work for it and get exercise, and a heavy feeding before dark.

when they eat to much in the morning they go take naps instead of laying eggs.didnt always feed this way but since i have been feeding this way i have found that i get more eggs early during the day.at one point i was collecting 6-8 eggs a day before 8 a.m.

mash

my mash is made of 1 part corn 1 part layer feed 1 part cabbage

mixed in bucket with warm water

corn at noon

corn or layer feed in evening


sometimes i'll rotate order plus the beef scraps and treats,figs, watermelon,rice,etc etc

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
well i can't go by how much my guys are eating, they all free range, i give them a 16 oz plastic cup full twice a day spread out on a piece of plywood. some meals it stays there quite a while. they all come in to see what i've got, so i can do head counts but then they all wander back down to the horse pasture. i plan to continue free ranging the majority but keeping the breeders penned so i know thye're pure, and so i can track which birds are the parents to know who's producing the best chicks/eggs.