genesis1verse1............
If the hen has not layed yet,then yes I just leave the hen alone until the next checking time. If the hen still has not layed by the next check time I then open the door and make the hen leave the nest. Yes i did say ''make'',but in a nice way.This is not always needed. I had some hens go broody but were not laying eggs.Some did lay and go broody but I have other cages for broodies so they cant occupy the trapnests like that. What I did was use a lil bamboo stick tap the wall of the inside of the box and the broody hen comes right out.They really puff their feathers up and refuse to move.
Another instance is,like one I noticed over the summer when it was very hot.Hens would get up in the trapnests and take naps then lay later.For instance,I feed between 7 and 8, around 8 :45 in check my first time. From 9-12 noon I work, at 12 I make my second check.then again at 3 then again at 5 or 6. I feed at every check time but I feed heavy at evening time or should I say the last check time. I have found this to encourages early egg laying the following day.A great deal of my hens lay before the 9 o'clock check time. If they are in the trapnests at 9 and have not layed yet then i leave them in the nests.When I check at 12 if they still have not layed then i make them leave the nest. If they wanna get back in which some of them do I let them.Some begining layers spend a whole day laying their first few eggs.Others just chill-out after morning feed and take a nap.I know because I have watched them all day. I gave this subject a great deal of my time.Raising chickens took me in a serious way and I wanted to do the best that I could.So I studied their involvement with the trapnest.
Jumping over to
ChickenCanoe's point......
I see the point you are trying to make.Anything short of cameras in every nests seems imposible for how you describe doing it.I have seen no stressing of any of my hens.I have only touched my hens to clip their feathers. I dont even touch them when I let them out daily.It is so easy for me to identify the colored legband/bands on the leg of the hen that is stepping out of the trapnest.There was never a need for me to handle to birds daily.If you are trying to keep human interaction to as least as possible and keep a trapnesting log,it can be done.It has been done!Another way would be flypens with a roo and hen only. I posted a pic earlier showing a group of flypens that was used to trapnest I thought that point was covered earlier also.Line up 5 flypens and rotate the roo from pen to pen.5 hens with their own pen no mix up possible.
But now that raises a questions in my mind? How confined of a space penwise put stress on a bird?? At what point do you consider a bird no longer wild??
The Belgian Maran's Club trapnest dark egg laying hens using similar trapnests. In the end its your decision how you wanna go about handling the subject matter.I'm still open for any other ways to improve the laying of the hen.Its been over a year and nobody came forth to answer this question intelligently.Not saying trapnesting is the only answer but it works for me,and I'm just a newbie.However,I have done my homework !!
