Up the ramp, please...

[Ballerina Bird]

Minor update: I took the advice here and brought a light out to the coop at dusk, and the new hen managed to fly up to the perch by herself once she was in the coop. So, a small bit of progress. Thanks again.

 

[aart]

Minor update: I took the advice here and brought a light out to the coop at dusk, and the new hen managed to fly up to the perch by herself once she was in the coop. So, a small bit of progress. Thanks again.

Did she go into the coop using the ramp herself...or did you help?
Keep using that light every evening, she'll catch on.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Did she go into the coop using the ramp herself...or did you help?
Keep using that light every evening, she'll catch on.

I had to help with the ramp, but I'm going to try adding some treads.

In the meantime, the perch is a good step -- I know it's no fun for her to try to balance with someone else plopping her up there.

She is a smart girl -- she learned to use the horizontal spring-loaded waterers very easily even though she'd had open-trough before -- so I am hoping she'll figure it all out.

 

[aart]

Is this the roost?
2x4?
How high up?
Brahmas are big and kind of clumsy birds.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Is this the roost?
2x4?
How high up?
Brahmas are big and kind of clumsy birds.

Yes, that's the roost. I guess it's maybe like 2 feet from the coop floor? Maybe a bit less. I know it should be a 2x4, but this was a pre bought coop with a dowel, and I had several people look at it before determining that the interior structure would make it difficult to switch to 2x4. Again, more stuff I will do differently when I can design my own set-up.

As you can sort of see from the pic, there is a nesting box near the floor opening. The new hen used the edge of that as a jumping-off point to get up to the roost, and she actually did fine. I could see yesterday that she was tapping the perch with her beak and clearly trying to figure out how to get up there herself, so I gave her a few minutes and she figured it out.

 

[aart]

there is a nesting box near the floor opening. The new hen used the edge of that as a jumping-off point to get up to the roost,

...and if she misses, she might fall down that hole!!..haha!!
Well, you need to find a handy friend.
Probably the hardest part about improving the roost is just getting in there to get your hand on it, other than that it's pretty easy.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Doubling the treads has unfortunately not worked so far. I am just not sure whether I need to do more to try to train her to walk up (or down) the ramp or whether I need to stop doing that, and that she'll feel more comfortable dealing with the ramp if she can do it on her own. I left her to to try to figure it out herself until I thought it was too dark for her to see and be able to do it. But I don't really know how dark that would be. After her one success flying up to the perch, she hasn't been able to do it again, so I am having someone build a lower perch tomorrow even though I am not sure how the other hen is going to manage jumping and up and down with a new item stuck in the coop. Very discouraged; she is the sweetest hen, and I feel so badly that she's having so much trouble. Training suggestions welcome.

 

[aart]

Not sure 'training' will overcome inadequate spacing issues.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Not sure 'training' will overcome inadequate spacing issues.

Yes, I see your point. Thanks again for the help -- will have to continue to puzzle this out.

 

[aart]

Yes, I see your point. Thanks again for the help -- will have to continue to puzzle this out.

Best bet really would be to add a pop door to side of coop, fill in the existing hole/hatch in bottom of coop, and lower existing roost a bit(~6" or so).
Can't really tell if you have a run area on the side of coop with planter box, but planter area would make a good 'porch' entrance to new pop door-after removing planter sides and dirt. Unfortunately, correcting 'bad' coop designs takes a bit of creative construction work, those with some building skills and some tools have an easier time of it.