Austrolorp won't climb

[wxdude99]

Hello. I have a big Austrolorp hen that won't climb up the ladder to get in the coop and won't jump/fly up to any of the perches, even one that's a foot off the ground. All of my other chickens do it with no problem. Is this normal?

 

[RobotChicken]

My Australorp is the least enthusiastic about flying or hopping up on things..........
(I know that doesn't help but I thought I would share)

 

[ghillie]

My Australorp is the first to get on top of things. She was the first one to use the upper nest box. She flies up to the window in the henhouse when she can hear me but can't see me.....

 

[SoccerMomof7]

Mine doesn't seem to have a problem...

 

[sandypaws]

my bigger/heavier birds wont jump/climb/roost up very high.(maybe a foot.. foot and a half at the most).... some of my cochin hens want even roost onefoot off the ground they sleep on the floor....
oh and my giant maran rooster wont roost, he sleeps on the floor of the coop..

but the small light banties like to get up as high as they can..
and if i dont clipp wings i have minorcas and andelusians that want to roost in the TREES

 

[wxdude99]

That's what kind of worried me. The other chickens, BR, Campine, Brown Leghorn all go to the top roost now, and the Austrolorp sleeps on the floor. I kind of feel sorry for her. That and I always have to pick her up and put her in the coop. She never goes in on her own, even if all the others go in first. Oh well. It's not a big problem. I was just curious about it.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

My two autralorp hens climb onto the porch (walk/hop right up the stairs) but usually this is whe Treats are involved - they think with their stomachs

Maybe try hanging a treat over the perch - see if she'll get up there, then.

 

[sandypaws]

as long as she gets INSIDE of the coop ...and make sure she has a clean spot to sleep.. i would not worry to much about it..

 

[digitS']

My coop nestbox was right beside the roost until last year. It is still at the same height but not over there where it tempts the birds to roost in it overnight.

When I uncovered this nice, supersized (big enuf for 2) box for this current batch of pullets, they wouldn't even climb the little ladder I set up to look inside. When they started laying - the eggs showed up on the floor.

One after the other, I set them first in the box so they could see what a wonderful place it was and then on the ladder. After they decided that the nestbox had all the things they were looking for, they still had to learn to climb the ladder to get to it. And, by that time these Australorps and Barred Rocks were all well over 5 pounds.

They soon learned to use the nestbox for egglaying. One Aussie never layed an egg on the floor.

I've got another hen that has a hard time getting down from their sunporch. It's only 18 inches but it takes her a few minutes of pacing back and forth before she's willing to make the jump. I think she may have hurt herself months ago when she was small and hanging out on the sunporch was a new experience. She's the only bird I can remember that has behaved this way.

Steve