acrophobic chicken

[frankenchick]

Zasu, my 13 w/o White Rock, gets up on top of the nest boxes to sleep at night with her sister, Wild Thing. No, I don't know why they don't use the nice perch we put up.

Problem is, in the morning, Zasu can't get down! My DH says, "she got up, she can get down," but this morning I wasn't able to let them out until 10:00, and she was still up there. She just shifts from foot to foot all along the box, peering anxiously at the floor.

I can't leave her there all day without food or water . . . how can I train her, or [barring that] how do I prevent her getting up there in the first place?

 

[Poison Ivy]

You could angle a sheet of plywood or screen across the nest box. Or make a ramp for her to go up and down on. Is your nestboxes higher then your roost? If so you need to lower it so the roost it higher.

 

[silkiechicken]

I agree, make it so they can't roost on the next boxes. How high are your roosts? If she's a heavier breed, it might hurt to jump down more than a few feet.