The Trap Nesting Thread

[knjinnm]

Do you have pictures of the trap nest the Belgian Marans club is using?

 

[galanie]

We are going to start breeding Anconas next year, well actually the following year since next year we're going to get our starting stock.

I have been reading as much as I can given the limited amount of time I have. The old timers spent years perfecting their lines, they kept meticulous records and they trap nested! Why don't we?

My mentor has told me 'you don't have the time to trap nest", he's right, I don't but my six home schooled kids do! We will be trap nesting and we will be keeping IMACULATE records!

It seems that the easiest, most reliable trap nest design would be a modification to the one as used by the Belgian Marans club. Fewest moving parts, simplest design. I'll use a tiny screw to rest the trap door on. 3/4" plywood for the box 1/4" for the doors. Epoxy for the inside of the nest boxes so they can be easily cleaned and kept mite free. Dimensions 14' x 14"x 24"

Comments, suggestions?

Those do seem to be the best, the Belgian design. That's what I based mine on. Just be sure they aren't super heavy cause you will be needing to lift and move them at times.

Pic of Belgian design is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/567357/the-trap-nesting-thread/30#post_7336268

As for nest boxes, the milk crates partly cut down have always been my favorite. Easy to get, easy to clean. And a lot less trouble than epoxy. And do be sure that the front of the bottom door section is higher than the joint between them when you set it on the pin. I kept missing that and it's important. Their back needs to brush that joint to trigger it to shut.

 

[genesis1verse1]

Here is a pic of my latest trapnest which work great. I just joined 6 together to make one and got it off the ground for easy checking. It is a little too heavy, my next ones will be 3 joined into one.






Trapnesting works. It takes time for checking every hour or 2 but if you are serious about it and are homeschooling like we are, it is time well worth it. I have decided not to trapnest during june july or august anymore because the heat and humidity down here make it way to hazardous to the chickens. We almost lost a very good layer that got too hot. But that's ok, I think 9 months of records should tell what I need to know about the layers.

Hope you do well!

 

[galanie]

Here is a pic of my latest trapnest which work great. I just joined 6 together to make one and got it off the ground for easy checking. It is a little too heavy, my next ones will be 3 joined into one. Trapnesting works. It takes time for checking every hour or 2 but if you are serious about it and are homeschooling like we are, it is time well worth it. I have decided not to trapnest during june july or august anymore because the heat and humidity down here make it way to hazardous to the chickens. We almost lost a very good layer that got too hot. But that's ok, I think 9 months of records should tell what I need to know about the layers. Hope you do well!

Great job!

 

[Rhinoman]

Except from "High egg Production from individual hens, pens and flocks" published in 1922

"The Hogan system, as we understand it, has not worked out well with us. Have studied it and tested it but did not find it reliable. With us that plan failed badly, and both ways. Birds that by the test should have done well, did not; while others that ought not have laid well, proved to be good layers. One hen that laid 249 eggs did not show up well by the Hogan test, while another that did extra well laid only 179 eggs.

When a man uses trap next for FIFETEEN YEARS (my emphasis) -uses them every day in the year, keeps careful records and studies these records=he has a lot of theories knocked out of him. His judgment is the 365th day."


Is that inspiring or what? Most of the breeders in the book trap nested. The book can be downloaded from Google.

 

[genesis1verse1]

Except from "High egg Production from individual hens, pens and flocks" published in 1922

"The Hogan system, as we understand it, has not worked out well with us. Have studied it and tested it but did not find it reliable. With us that plan failed badly, and both ways. Birds that by the test should have done well, did not; while others that ought not have laid well, proved to be good layers. One hen that laid 249 eggs did not show up well by the Hogan test, while another that did extra well laid only 179 eggs.

When a man uses trap next for FIFETEEN YEARS (my emphasis) -uses them every day in the year, keeps careful records and studies these records=he has a lot of theories knocked out of him. His judgment is the 365th day."


Is that inspiring or what? Most of the breeders in the book trap nested. The book can be downloaded from Google.

That is a great quote. I will check that out, thanks.

 

[vtguania]

MANOZ thank you for an excellent thread on trap nesting. I came across trap nesting looking for open-air housing on google. It caught my interesting and upon doing a search led me to your thread. Took me all day yesterday to read through it all but it was worth it. How has it been working out for you and all the others doing it? I spent all doing looking for trap nesting designs today and your plan IS the easiest by far. Chickencanoe was concerned on account of the breed he has. I read somewhere that the trapnest can be built with an exit door into a separate pen in which food & water is made available till the hen can be recorded and released with the rest of the flock. I guess if the space is available it is an option but I don't see how it would be any different than individual pens IMO. Either way, I plan on trap nesting once I built a new coop (hopefully this spring-summer), more in my case for breeding than egg production. Galanie, are you still trap nesting as well?

 

[galanie]

I am not currently trap nesting for various reasons, mostly because I moved and still have work to do on the barn/coops. But I'll have to start again soon so I know who laid what egg for hatching. I do have the trap nests I build, just not a setup to use them in but that will change soon.

 

[genesis1verse1]

I am not currently trap nesting for various reasons, mostly because I moved and still have work to do on the barn/coops. But I'll have to start again soon so I know who laid what egg for hatching. I do have the trap nests I build, just not a setup to use them in but that will change soon.

I love trapnesting for breeding purposes in my closed flock. It's a mixed flock with lots of heritage breeds. I guess I'm gonna create my own breed. Right now I only have the one large trapnest with 6 in it from the pick above though I think I've figured out an improved design over that one that I will make in a couple of weeks or so. I wonder where MANOZ is, his work on this thread was and is a great inspiration for me.

 

[Rhinoman]

I love trapnesting for breeding purposes in my closed flock. It's a mixed flock with lots of heritage breeds. I guess I'm gonna create my own breed. Right now I only have the one large trapnest with 6 in it from the pick above though I think I've figured out an improved design over that one that I will make in a couple of weeks or so. I wonder where MANOZ is, his work on this thread was and is a great inspiration for me.

Originally was going to make my trap nest 14" x 14" x 24". After some reconsideration (my current nest boxes are 11" round five gallons buckets and they're big enough for my [hatchery] Brahmas); I'm going to make mine 12" x 12' x 24". That should be plenty big!