- Mar 25, 2009
- 1,299
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(Long time no see folks; I moved to Boston following work, and my chickens are now under the ownership of my mother. I do long distance diagnosis and recommendations and take care of them when I visit. It's quite strange.)
I started some babies for Mom last summer and they integrated well with the adults EXCEPT that the White Rock has issues with going in and out of the coop. The coop doesn't have a ramp, but it does have strategically placed roosts, and no chicken has ever had any issue before, even the really heavy ones. Most of the girls will even go in the "people" door -- a cleaning door set well off the ground (2 feet) -- they hope up any time you open it.
The little White Rock won't go in at all. And when she's in, she's afraid to come out. She won't hop on or off anything, even if it's just a jump of 6" -- and this includes the roost, so she sleeps on the floor of the coop. And she does want in and out, she comes to you and cries to be let in. When coming out she stands in the doorway tentatively touching her feet to the perches as she comes down until someone gives her a shove (otherwise she won't come out at all, either).
She seems to be afraid to get on anything. Her feet are fine, very healthy. Her wings are fine, though she doesn't flap a lot like the others.
Any ideas on how to get her to go in and out like a normal chicken? We beefed up the perch/steps into the chicken door into a platform, but she still doesn't seem to go in and out; a ramp isn't impossible with the coop design, but it would be difficult, and I'm not convinced that she wouldn't be afraid of it anyway.
I started some babies for Mom last summer and they integrated well with the adults EXCEPT that the White Rock has issues with going in and out of the coop. The coop doesn't have a ramp, but it does have strategically placed roosts, and no chicken has ever had any issue before, even the really heavy ones. Most of the girls will even go in the "people" door -- a cleaning door set well off the ground (2 feet) -- they hope up any time you open it.
The little White Rock won't go in at all. And when she's in, she's afraid to come out. She won't hop on or off anything, even if it's just a jump of 6" -- and this includes the roost, so she sleeps on the floor of the coop. And she does want in and out, she comes to you and cries to be let in. When coming out she stands in the doorway tentatively touching her feet to the perches as she comes down until someone gives her a shove (otherwise she won't come out at all, either).
She seems to be afraid to get on anything. Her feet are fine, very healthy. Her wings are fine, though she doesn't flap a lot like the others.
Any ideas on how to get her to go in and out like a normal chicken? We beefed up the perch/steps into the chicken door into a platform, but she still doesn't seem to go in and out; a ramp isn't impossible with the coop design, but it would be difficult, and I'm not convinced that she wouldn't be afraid of it anyway.
