Hi!
I recently built a new coop and it's elevated off the ground 2 feet so my chickens now have to use a ramp.
It's been a week now and my one hen (a silkie) refuses to go down it - she knows how to go up it by herself at night though. And my other chicken has zero problem going up & down. I've elevated the end to lessen the angle and the cleats are already only 3 inches apart.
I've tried placing her part way down every day and she will just sit and not move and chirp at me.. sometimes she will even just opt to go back up the ramp instead of walking down. I've also trimmed the feathers around her eyes to ensure she can see the new situation well.
And not sure if it's what it seems, but my rooster adorably seems to try to show her how to do it - whenever I put her in the middle of the ramp he will go up a couple cleats and then back down and jump off.
Suggestions for anything else I can try to make her comfortable with it?
I recently built a new coop and it's elevated off the ground 2 feet so my chickens now have to use a ramp.
It's been a week now and my one hen (a silkie) refuses to go down it - she knows how to go up it by herself at night though. And my other chicken has zero problem going up & down. I've elevated the end to lessen the angle and the cleats are already only 3 inches apart.
I've tried placing her part way down every day and she will just sit and not move and chirp at me.. sometimes she will even just opt to go back up the ramp instead of walking down. I've also trimmed the feathers around her eyes to ensure she can see the new situation well.
And not sure if it's what it seems, but my rooster adorably seems to try to show her how to do it - whenever I put her in the middle of the ramp he will go up a couple cleats and then back down and jump off.
Suggestions for anything else I can try to make her comfortable with it?