INTERIOR FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT 



95 



into the making of the nest. Use the following key in 

 studying the illustration: 



A. Galvanzied iron door 9x9 inches square. Edges 

 turned to stiffen. Upper edge has No. 9 fence wire in- 

 serted in fold, this wire extending about 24-inch at each 

 end beyond sides of door. B. Wood trigger, ?/&x% inches 

 in width and thickness, and 2y 2 inches in length. Has 

 notch cut in lower end. Upper end has common wire 

 staple driven in part way, with an extra staple looped 

 through this one. Is fastened to cross top rail (see Fig. 

 191) so that galvanized iron door will just clear it nicely 

 when raised. C. Top rail %x2x!2 inches. Trigger (B) is to 

 be attached to this rail. D and E, front and back of nest 

 duplicates; \2 l / 2 inches wide by 10^4 inches high. Bottom 

 rail ^x3xl2j^ inches. Top rail 7/ s x\^xl2]/ 2 inches. Side 

 rail Jgx2x6j4 inches. Strips are. ^x%xl0^4 inches. Back 

 of nest can be made solid, if desired. F and I, sides of 

 nest, each f^xl0^x20^2 inches. G. Bottom of nest or 

 floor, %x!27/ 8 x20y 2 inches. H, Strip ^x2^x!2 inches, used 



FIG. 190 PARTS REQUIRED IX PRACTICAL, 

 TRAP-NEST 



mid-way between front and back of nest to hold nest ma- 

 terial in place. See Figs. 191 and 192 for construction of 

 nest and nest in use. 



The Connecticut Trap Nest 



By ROY E. JONES nnd LESLIE CARD 



The trap nest shown in Fig. 193 was developed in con- 

 nection with the International Egg Laying Contest at 

 Storrs. The important parts of this nest are the door and 

 trigger. The door is hung at the top on No. 8 or 9 wire 

 by means of strips of hoop iron tacked along the edges of 

 the door. These strips extend above the top of the door 

 and a hole is punched in the upper end through which 

 the wire runs. The door is made narrower at the bottom 

 than at the top to prevent its binding on the sides of the 

 nest. The door when completed and in place is practically 

 proof against trouble as there is nothing to get loose or 

 wear out. 



The dimensions of the trigger are shown in the dia- 

 gram (Fig. 193). The trigger is perhaps more easily made 

 from a %x2-inch strip. The 4^4-inch dimension and the 

 2^-inch dimension may be measured off on the two par- 

 allel edges, which are two inches apart. Then the 4^-inch 

 dimension may be drawn and the J^-inch one perpendicu- 

 lar to it. These leave only the 2^-inch line to be drawn, 

 which is easily done. The point for making the screw hole 

 is determined as follows: draw a line parallel to the 4^4- 

 inch side and y 2 inch from it. Then measure along this 

 line to a point 2^4 inches from the point of the trigger. 



FIG. 191 HEN ENTERING TRAP NEST 



This point will be the center of the screw hole. The screw 

 hole should be large enough to allow the trigger to work 

 freely. It is well to put one of the small tins sometimes 

 used in laying tar paper behind the trigger with the 

 rounded side out. This will tend to let the trigger act 

 more freely. The screw holding the trigger should be 

 placed at a point about 5^ inches from the bottom of the 

 nest and 3j4 inches from the front. 



The two cuts at the bottom of Fig. 193 show all the 

 other dimensions of the nest. The backs are left open to 

 facilitate cleaning, with the nests hung against the wall. If 

 placed under the droppings boards the tops may be left 

 open also. If used for a large flock the nests may be 

 tiered up in rows, in which case only the top row would 

 need to be covered as the bottom of one row of nests 

 would be the covers for the row below. 



To set the nests when the door is closed, insert the in- 

 dex finger beneath the door and depress the forward' end 

 of the trigger sufficiently to allow the door to open. Open 

 the door until it rests in the notch of the trigger when the 



FIG. 192 HEN IN NEST DOOR CLOSED 



rear end of the latter is raised. When a hen enters the 

 nest she lifts the door slightly with her back, the trigger 

 at once drops and the door swings shut. A small block 

 is placed under the trigger at such a height that when the 

 rear end of the trigger is resting upon it the front end is 

 held at a point just above the lower edge of the door when 

 closed. This prevents the door from opening inward to 

 admit another hen until the occupant of the nest has been 

 removed and her egg recorded. A stop is necessary in 

 front of each door to prevent the door opening outward 



