The Trap Nesting Thread

[MANOZ]

snakes...............................

I manage to stop these snakes with two different methods. After a very bad coon attack I was forced to change things around. I built a 2 foot high by 2 foot wide by 6 foot long chicken run so to speak.Wrapped in chicken wire,darn coons ripped their heads off through the wire,also ripped a big enough hole to get in.They left none of those alive. I then moved some into 1 inch by 1 inch coated wire cages These were recycled crab cages.I made a shelf some three feet off of the ground.This is the type of cage that caught the biggest snake in. I had 2-3 small birds in each cage.I figure if the coons would come back then they wouldnt have access to a whole open flock. They would have to breech every cage instead off just one cage.

The other thing that worked was that black plastic netting.I had originally put it up to keep the hawks from swooping down, but I had some bamboo grow through one section of the the netting. One day was was feeding and noticed the net shaking, it seems that this netting catches them,they go through it then try to pass back through it again thus trapping itself. I caught 4 in this netting, i had a big piece that was balled up on the ground it was catching them too. So i learn to incorporate these tools around the yard.They really helped i can feel safer about my kids being around the yard now.

 

[genesis1verse1]

Thanks, MANOZ. The place where I got the rooster was line breeding Dominque's, so you are probably right about that part for sure. I just know he isn't full blood and I'm not sure what the other part(s) are.

 

[MANOZ]

genesis1verse1

To be honest with you,I think the cross might be barred rock x dominique because the saddle feathers look dominique but the tail feathers look like my barred rock's tail feathers.Might be one of 50% but its definetly not a mutt.That is a handsome bird.

From what i understand the roo passes his bars to the daughters. A hen passes her bars to her sons. So his mother had to have some bars.This is just my guess.I recently bred two barred rocks and the chick that survived was light like him but her bars were one thickness type,and she was knocked kneed so i got rid of her.But from what I see he clearly has both bar types the dominique thin bars and the barred rock thick bars.Again this is just my guess but i think its a pretty good one.

 

[genesis1verse1]

Here is what I come up with after looking at some of the pics on this thread. It is crude but I used scraps I had laying around.

I want to make a lot of these and use better material and make them more uniform. This is just a quick test to see if I could make it work.

 

[genesis1verse1]

As you can see, I made this box exactly tall enough and wide enough for the milk crate. They will go inside. One laid an egg in there today. I don't know which one because I haven't begun setting the trap. I'm trying to get them used to/comfortable with going in and laying so when they see the door half open they will still go inside. I have the door propped up with a stick so they can go in and out. Yesterday, after I first put it in their pen, I went inside for 30 min. and came back to find that one had managed to go in and set the trap(even though I had the door propped up with the stick) and had managed to slide the crate out the back and escape. I immediately screwed a small stick onto the back so that they can't escape anymore.

Here is a front view with the stick holding up the door. I would like to know the optimal door size for dual purpose sized birds such as Black Australorps which I intend to breed. After toying with this a while it became evident to me that the success or failure of this whole trap nest is all about getting the door right. I think this one may work since I tested it with food inside and the chickens tripped it. They would have been trapped if they had been all the way inside trying to lay their egg instead of stealing a little extra feed. Still, I want to make a lot of these and instead of designing them around the milk crate I think it will be better if I design them around the proper door dimensions.

Like I said, today I found an egg inside the trap nest. Once I know they are used to laying in it a few days, I will start setting the trap. I love this idea.

 

[BantamWhisperer]

As you can see, I made this box exactly tall enough and wide enough for the milk crate. They will go inside. One laid an egg in there today. I don't know which one because I haven't begun setting the trap. I'm trying to get them used to/comfortable with going in and laying so when they see the door half open they will still go inside. I have the door propped up with a stick so they can go in and out. Yesterday, after I first put it in their pen, I went inside for 30 min. and came back to find that one had managed to go in and set the trap(even though I had the door propped up with the stick) and had managed to slide the crate out the back and escape. I immediately screwed a small stick onto the back so that they can't escape anymore. Here is a front view with the stick holding up the door. I would like to know the optimal door size for dual purpose sized birds such as Black Australorps which I intend to breed. After toying with this a while it became evident to me that the success or failure of this whole trap nest is all about getting the door right. I think this one may work since I tested it with food inside and the chickens tripped it. They would have been trapped if they had been all the way inside trying to lay their egg instead of stealing a little extra feed. Still, I want to make a lot of these and instead of designing them around the milk crate I think it will be better if I design them around the proper door dimensions. Like I said, today I found an egg inside the trap nest. Once I know they are used to laying in it a few days, I will start setting the trap. I love this idea.

wow I want this!

 

[MANOZ]

here is a tip.........if u slide the crate forward the door could sit on top of the crate,if u have enough room.that way no stick is needed.In other words raise the door up as high as it can go,then pull the crate forward. thus blocking the door from coming down. My boxes are 16 inches tall, your box seem to be a bit short.Remember that they will try not to touch the door but the step they take to get inside is the one that trips the door. they will duck in if they could.

You have to fine tune the door to your birds body.Just a matter of raising or lowering the trip nail [the nail the holds the door open] You can get away with an inch either way higher or lower. Try to watch them one day,just hang around the nests and observe them.If one is using it already more will follow like the white hen in the pic.They hear the egg song and come looking.I have a smaller hen that would always get in and out of the box.So Iput a a 1x4 in front of the crate thus raising the floor by a inch, this seems to be good enough to trip the door when she entered.

All in all your looking good, and welcome to the world of trapnesting. you will be impressed at the whole idea once your flock starts unveiling their secrets.

 

[MANOZ]

here is my backside of my boxes....as you can see I'm a little more higher. Meaning they have more standing room inside of the box.

 

[MANOZ]

my openings in the front are 5 1/2 inches high,I have barred rocks,reds,and australorps and they all seem to trigger the doors at this height for me.Hope this helps you out some.

 

[genesis1verse1]

Thanx MANOZ,

Have you ever had one escape out of the back? I think my chicken tried to go back out the door way and was able to knock the crate out just enough to go to the back and stick her head/body through the crack and squeeze out somehow. That is why I put a little cheap stick on there for a latch.

I agree that my box is a little short. My next trap will be taller. Also, do you recommend any certain width of the door? If I get the door part nailed the rest will be easy. Hopefully by next week I will start trapping some egg layers.

Also, thanks for the tip about pulling the crate up to hold the door. That will work much better than the stick that they keep knocking over.