- Jan 18, 2010
- 250
- 3
- 121
Greetings, all!
Just a quick question for everybody, I hope you can give me some advice or techniques to help me solve a problem that's come up with my 3 new pullets.
In brief, they don't use the ramp down or up from their hen house to the run. They have been with us for 4 days now and they were hatched on a hobby farm where they didn't have ramps at all -- they lived in a ground level shed with an open door through which they free ranged during the day and came home at night. So they're used to walking around on flat surfaces. Ramps are a totally unknown concept.
At the moment I am having to catch each bird separately and put them down into their run, which is stressful on everybody. And then, I have to catch them in their run and put them back in their henhouse, which is also really stressful, and not what I want to do every day for the next few years. The whole point of having an integrated coop/run was so that they can go in and out whenever they want to. But that's not happening. Is it just the fact that they're still very new? Will they eventually figure it out on their own? What do I do in this situation?
There has to be a better way! Unfortunately I don't know what that way is -- hoping somebody out there might be willing to give me a pointer or two.
Their run is cooler, bigger, and they relax more when they are in it (based on their behavior yesterday), not to mention the fact that their food and water is also down there (at least, until I can buy smaller feeders to go in the hen house). I have been scattering handfuls of their flock raiser in the henhouse for them, and bringing them water, but again, this really isn't optimal -- very soon I won't be able to be with them all day every day like I am right now, to hand feed them, and I really don't want them to see me as That Big Chicken Grabbing Predator (which is kind of where they're at right now, because I have to catch them, and it freaks them out).
What are some techniques I can use to get them used to using their ramp, hopefully within the next week? Would putting treats like cracked corn or sunflower seeds on the rungs help? It's all I can think of for right now.
Your advice would be appreciated. TIA!
Whitewater
Just a quick question for everybody, I hope you can give me some advice or techniques to help me solve a problem that's come up with my 3 new pullets.
In brief, they don't use the ramp down or up from their hen house to the run. They have been with us for 4 days now and they were hatched on a hobby farm where they didn't have ramps at all -- they lived in a ground level shed with an open door through which they free ranged during the day and came home at night. So they're used to walking around on flat surfaces. Ramps are a totally unknown concept.
At the moment I am having to catch each bird separately and put them down into their run, which is stressful on everybody. And then, I have to catch them in their run and put them back in their henhouse, which is also really stressful, and not what I want to do every day for the next few years. The whole point of having an integrated coop/run was so that they can go in and out whenever they want to. But that's not happening. Is it just the fact that they're still very new? Will they eventually figure it out on their own? What do I do in this situation?
There has to be a better way! Unfortunately I don't know what that way is -- hoping somebody out there might be willing to give me a pointer or two.
Their run is cooler, bigger, and they relax more when they are in it (based on their behavior yesterday), not to mention the fact that their food and water is also down there (at least, until I can buy smaller feeders to go in the hen house). I have been scattering handfuls of their flock raiser in the henhouse for them, and bringing them water, but again, this really isn't optimal -- very soon I won't be able to be with them all day every day like I am right now, to hand feed them, and I really don't want them to see me as That Big Chicken Grabbing Predator (which is kind of where they're at right now, because I have to catch them, and it freaks them out).
What are some techniques I can use to get them used to using their ramp, hopefully within the next week? Would putting treats like cracked corn or sunflower seeds on the rungs help? It's all I can think of for right now.
Your advice would be appreciated. TIA!
Whitewater