So will they or won't they climb a ramp? *Update* YES THEY WILL!

[rita2paul]

i love the house you have got for them.
i hope they use the ladder. my last lot had a run and house that was on the floor and they laid their eggs in the house but would not sleep in there and prefer to sleep outside, so i had to chase them in every night. which was a pain.

 

[dianneS]

Well, I let the babies out yesterday. It took them a while to get the courage to venture out into the run. I can see why they don't like ramps. I put a non-skid grip tape on mine and they still had a difficult time. They're quite klutzy! Maybe they'll get brave when they're bigger?

They all slept outside on the ground last night. I'd like them to make some use of the house, but I'm not sure I want them in there all of the time. They sure did make a bit mess in there in just three days! I think I might prefer them spending most of their time on the ground. No clean up! I can just move their pen to a clean spot of grass!


I won't be too upset if they don't use the ramp.

 

[dianneS]

*SUCCESS!!

Some of them have climbed the ramp! I filled their feeder this morning which they immediately recognized, and I "lured" some of them onto the ramp. I placed the feeder in the upper level where they could see it and I sprinkled some feed on each step. Three up them went right up and inside! They ate a little and then all three walked back down the ramp.

I went out later to find two upstairs dust bathing in the sand, and lots of foot prints in the sand too. There were new poops on the ramp as well. I watched, and a couple more went up the ramp!

I'm thrilled! If they go up there occasionally, that is fine with me. They don't need to go in at night, I can make sure they'll stay safe on the ground if that's where they want to be. I'm just glad that they're not completely ignoring their second story of their home. I'm sure if I made the angle of the ramp less severe the would climb it easier, but I don't want to disturb them with general construction in their home while they just getting comfortable.

 

[Choulihan]

Oh sure, they can learn to use a ramp. I switched over from blocks they hopped up on to get into their hutch in the aviary, to a ramp going into a small chicken coop with run. They learned fast..


Love this! What material do they have for grip on the ramp?