172 



POULTRY DISEASES 



Trap Nest 



Fig. 53 illustrates the trap nest. The birds are 

 placed in one yard, the nest arranged between 

 the two and the rooster placed in the second. A 

 hen going into the nest tilts the trap so that there 

 is only one yard for her to go in after she is 

 through laying and that is the one in which the 

 rooster is found. After she leaves the next the 



Fig. 53. Trap Nest 

 The hens are confined in one pen and the cockerel in another, sep- 

 arated from the first by a small building, in which the nests are 

 placed. When a hen gets on the nest her weight causes the weight 

 shown to rise and plose the entrance. When she leaves the nest 

 she goes through the exit, which is open while the nest is lowered, 

 into the pen with the cockerel. Relieved of the weight of the hen, 

 the nest rises, closing the exit and again opening the entrance to 

 the building, 



weight on the trap again opens the nest to the 

 first yard. A criticism has been raised that a hen 

 goes on a nest often times when she does not want 

 to lay and is a non-layer. Perhaps she does, but, 

 notwithstanding, I have seen excellent results ob- 

 tained by this method. 



Non-laying may be due to old age or disease 

 of the ovary or other of the egg-developing or- 

 gans, but is much oftener due to improper feeding 



