| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Chez |
Trap nesting?Anyone got a design for DIY trap nest boxes? |
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| Ixy |
Nope - bit faffy for me, have to supervise alll day long. I just make up smaller pens and put two hens together who lay different coloured eggs. Might be some in jim worthington's book? Or am I thinking of Alfred Gibson's? hmmmm.
the basic idea was that the opening of the nextbox had dangling dowels over it so the hen could push through, but a lip at the bottom stopped the dowels swinging back out so the hen was trapped. |
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| Chez |
I'll have a look in Worthington, thanks, Ixy. | ||
| Ixy |
Thinking off the top of my head - you know them thingies that are like screws but they have 'eyelets' on the top instead of a screwhead? Rob's looking it up in his man-manual....the manmanual says they're called 'screw eyes'  anyway, you could screw them into the end of the dowel, and then thread those over a thin rod over the top of the next box entrance to create the swingy door  You'd need some kind of spacer thingy on the 'curtain rail' rod though, to stop the dowels sliding along and letting the hen out when she pushes...
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| Chez |
We are basically talking a cat flap, aren't we? Set so it only goes one way.
But. How do you stop a second hen following the first in there? To prevent that happening it would have to actually snap shut somehow. I need to sleep on it. I have some dowel, though. And some screw-eye thingies. Hmmmmmm. |
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| Tavascarow |
I saw a design in one of those ancient poultry books you can get free online.
Someone here posted the link but I've searched & can't find it. Hopefully someone will remember better than me & repost the link. It was a very simple design but I'm like Ixy to busy to be hanging around the chicken house all day long.
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| Tavascarow |
Googled & found after a struggleLINK
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| dpack |
one way cat flap thing
ps love the barnvelders
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| Chez |
Thanks, Tav, that's great. dpack - cat flap is no good because you need it to lock shut so that no other hens can follow her in afterwards. Now I've seen a picture, I can visualise what I need to do to convert a standard box. | ||
| bodger |
Would Madam fancy borrowing my book ?
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| Chez |
Madam will have a google around and see if she can find a copy - if not, yes please! | ||
| bodger |
Basically the bottom of the nest box is a treadle. The chicken steps on it and pulls a peg out at the top of the nest box which is holding the trap door open. The door drops shut .The peg is fastened to the treadle by string.
Simple really.
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| Woodburner |
There's a bunch here, but I found a much, much simpler one a while back. I know I posted links to it somewhere, but I don't seem to have bookmarked it. :S
Give me a minute. 
Here it is, C&P'd from Bodgers forums, I guess he didn't like it! 
Simpler link to the diagram It's faster to load as it doesn't show the thumbnails. It doesn't need to 'lock' shut. Once the bottom of the flap has dropped, (from the hen pushing under to go in) anay other hen will try and get in by putting her head through the hole, and that's as far as she can get! The hen inside is doubly prevented from getting out as the flap won't swing outwards at all, as it is blocked by the laths that held the bottom of the flap up, in the 'set' position. |
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| arvo |
That is brilliantly simple and slightly comic (with the chickens head poking out!)
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| Helen M |
does it have pea-lights 
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