POULTRY NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 238, 5 September 1940, Page 12

POULTRY NOTES

(By “Brooder.”) In order to reduce the cost of recording arid to facilitate the collection of •data essential in any scheme of utility pedigree breeding a simple automatic trap-nest lias been devised, stated E. E. Bombard, professional poultry officer, East London, South Africa, in the journal Farming in South Africa. The trap-nest automatically separates thoso liens which, lay from those which do not. The entry of the hen into the nest releases a door which closes the entrance. If the hen fails to lay, it leaves the nest by an open exit', operating at the same time a lever which opens the entrance, and returns to the original run. If the hen should lay an egg, the egg falls through the bottom ot the nest, releasing a door which closes the original open exit and opens another exit. As the hen which has laid the egg passes through the latter exit it operates a lever which opens both the entrance and the original exit and closes the exit by which it has left. The second exit through which the hen leaves the nest leads into a separate run. Tho liens which lay are thus separated irom those which do not. Eor identification purposes a simple prominently-numbered wing-plate is attached to each hen. The numbers of the wing-plates of the hens which have laid and which are now in the separate run are recorded before the hens are permitted to return to the original pen. The contrivance does not determine the particular egg laid by each hen, but this can bo ascertained, when necessary, simply by closing the exit which is controlled by the egg with a liand-operated door which prevents the hen from leaving tho nest. For recording purposes, the hand-operated door is opened, permitting the lien to leave the nest and its wing-plate number is noted on the egg. Tho exit is then dosed again. This liand-operated door does not interfere with'the automatic working of the trap-nest. The minimum weights of a hen and ail egg required to operate the trapnest are 21b and %oz, respectively. Other advantages of this device are: (1) Handling of the hens is obviated; (2) the hens cannot acquire the habit of eating their eggs because these fall out of' their reach; (3) except when the device is used to determine the egg laid by each hen the trap-nest requires attention only once a day.