Building Trap Nests?? Is it possible?

[MamaDragon]

Hi Y'All !

We want to be able to trap-nest the hens we have come spring, to see who's laying and who's not.

Therefore, we need to build some trap-nests. (or cages big enough for single waterers and feeders and keep them confined for a week.)

Anyone have any they've built?

I've heard about them here on the forum, but haven't seen any pics or descriptions detailed enough to try to sketch one out.

The closest thing I've actually SEEN, is the live-traps used for 'coons, skunks, etc.

Any help would Be GREATLY Appreciated!

Thanks,
Kathy

 

[ncCHICKS]

I've never heard of these, are they wild or your pets?

 

[patandchickens]

NCchicks, a trapnest is so that you can tell who laid which egg. The hen enters the box to lay and a door closes behind her so she is stuck there til you release her (obviously this is kind of labor-intensive since you gotta check the nests very frequently to release the 'victims'

)

I have seen designs for making them but cannot offhand point you to a source. Basically they were setups where the hen dislodges a pin that was wedging the door open and it shuts and the hen can't get out b/c of the direction it is hinged. If that makes any sense.

I am hoping that someone will reply to this thread for you with a good detailed design that they are willing to swear WORKS, because I too would like to build a couple come springtime

Good luck, will be watching this thread closely!

,

Pat

 

[Jayare's Chicks]

I bought 2 hutches at one of our feed stores here for $45.00 each. They are 3 feet long, 2 feet deep and 2 feet tall and on 2 foot tall legs. I have 5 little chickis growing up in 1 of them and 2 juvinile chickens in the other right now. When these 2 get just a little bigger they are going in the coop/run with the rest of my EE's and then I will put 1 EE chicken at a time in there so I can find out which of my EE's are laying green eggs and which are laying the brown eggs.

We also have used some old guinea pig cages also.

Jayare

 

[MamaDragon]

Does Anyone at least have a Pic of one?? Please???

Kathy

 

[havi]

I checked out a couple of books from the library and they had pictures of these kinds of nest. Im not 100% sure which book it was, either this or this. Maybe you can take a look at them and get some more info on it. Sorry I couldnt help more.

 

[havi]

I found this...

http://shilala.homestead.com/nestacc.html


http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/device/devices5.html

 

[vfem]

What a crazy good idea!

However, when I got to collect eggs, I have like 3 chickens in a nesting box all fighting over who gets to sit on the 1 laid egg!!! They all 'Wanna be the mama!'

 

[greathorse]

I love the simplicity of some of the old information. I have a book written in 1915 by the editor of the farm journal and he has a couple of simple trap nest ideas in there I couldnt figure out how get you a sketch but I did find another very simple one. The is a PDF that takes a bit to load but has a great sketch of a trap nest that is not hard to build. I think this information was written in 1910 or thereabouts. University of Oregon

http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/dspace/bitstream/1957/3743/1/no_7_ocr.pdf

If this doesnt work I simply googled TRap nest + chickens and this came up.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I found this...
http://www.geocities.com/homemadetraps/traps.html

which is more for trapping other animals, but perhaps the mechanisms can be utilized. I'm going to try to come up with something... I have to! Unless someone has photos of their boxes?