MAINE TRAP NEST 171 



Batteries of Nests. — The floor and sides of the nest should be 

 solid, the top is slatted for ventilation, and if the back of the nest 

 is to be placed against a wall of the poultry building it may be 

 left entirely open, which will facilitate cleaning when the boxes 

 are removed. It is a good plan to construct the nests in portable 

 sections or batteries of about four each, and if built of light ma- 

 terial, — ^half-inch white pine or poplar will do nicely, — they may 

 be conveniently handled for cleaning by one man. A four-inch 

 board is fastened to the lower portion of the front to stiffen the 

 partitions and retain the nesting material, and if it is found that 

 small hens can walk over this board without disturbing the door, 

 the distance between the nesting material and the lower edge of 

 the door should be reduced accordingly, either by increasing the 

 quantity of nesting material, increasing the depth of the front 

 board or extending the length of the door. A platform or shelf 

 of some kind should be built in front of the nests for the hens to 

 walk upon in entering and leaving the traps. 



Maine Nest. — ^The Maine Agricultural Experiment Station 

 has developed a two-compartment nest which seems to possess 

 several important advantages over the single type previously 

 described; yet because of them it is considerably more trouble- 

 some and expensive to build. Diagrams of this nest are shown in 

 Fig. 119, and represent longitudinal views with one side removed 

 to illustrate the construction and method of operation. 



The nest is a box-like structure, without front or cover, 28 

 inches long, 13 inches wide and 16 inches deep, inside measure- 

 ments, — divided in the middle with a partition extending 6 inches 

 from the bottom. The rear compartment is the nest proper, 

 and contains the nesting material, while the front section is de- 

 voted to a treadle for closing the front entrance, and need not 

 have any other bottom. This treadle is hinged to the door, and 

 by a nice balance it can be so delicately adjusted that a weight 

 of less than half a pound on the treadle will spring the trap. 



When the nest is set, ready for occupancy, the door extends 

 outward in a horizontal position as shown in upper diagram. A 

 hen about to lay steps on the door and walks in toward the rear 



