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v0.31:Nest box
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
A nest box is a building that Template:L laying creatures will use to lay their eggs in. A nest box is created at a Template:L or Template:L, and is stored in the Template:L section of the Finished Goods stockpile. Once built, the box will be claimed by an egg laying animal. The animal that claims the nest box will periodically lay Template:Ls into the box. A dwarf with the Template:L labor enabled will then remove the eggs and take them to a food stockpile. When the clutch of eggs is removed from the nest box, the egg-laying animal will abandon the nest box until she needs to lay another clutch.
A nested female will lay eggs regardless of the presence of a male of the same species, however the eggs will not be fertilized and will not hatch unless a male is present. If a male is present, the eggs may be fertilized and hatch if the dwarves can be prevented from snatching them out of the nest box and hauling them to be eaten. To achieve this, eggs can be Template:L, or access to the nest box can be blocked with locked doors, or eggs can be forbidden as a cooking ingredient in the kitchen menu. There may be no way of telling whether or not eggs have been fertilized, but if they sit in a nest box for more than two seasons, they are unlikely to ever hatch.
It should be noted that most domestic birds have tremendous reproductive potential, and a few species of breeding birds can cause a population explosion that rivals even the deadliest of Template:Ls. Entire fortresses can be fed with Template:L.