MAKING NESTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19209, 24 December 1925, Page 16

MAKING NESTS.

In fitting up a poultry house the nest boxes must be regarded as one of the most important details, and in making these it is desirable to put them in the darkest and most secluded corner of the house. In the case of open-fronted scratching sheds they are generally fixed to the front, just below the wire netting of the open portion.

I have heard it remarked that some laying failures were due to the nests not being sufficiently attractive, but it would be misleading to accept that as an influential factor. If a hen is ready to produce eggs she will find some place to lay them, though in most cases a well-built nest in a dark, quiet corner will appeal to b§r as a desirable place to resort to. If the nests are raised a foot to two above the floor level, there should be an alighting board along the front, whereas in the case of outside nest-boxes there is no advantage in having them more than a few inches above the floor level. Hens sometimes have a tendency to make use of one nest and to ignore the others. The best way to avoid that is to place one or two china eggs in each nest, for hens like to follow where others have been. Each nest should bo well built with straw, or similar material, and it is a good plan to put half a spadeful of dry soil into each box, and mould it well into the corners.

Whenever an egg is broken in the nest, all litter should bo cleaned out and renewed.