Coop design for rescued meat birds

[lil cheepers]

I adopted six Cornish mix meat hens. I am not intending to eat them. Just letting them live their life and they are laying eggs for me. The problem I'm havnig with them is they won't go up the ramp to the coop at night. We've adjusted the ramp to be longer, less incline and even has a landing halfway. If I physically put them on the bottom of the ramp, they will go up it. But if I don't do that, they will just huddle outside.

I know they don't perch but sit on the floor of the coop. So my question is, can I build them something that will enclose them but let them stay more on the ground so they don't have to go up the ramp? Has anyone tried to do that with them? I can't find much info on housing for them because most people just end up eating them.

I live in CT so it does get cold.

Thanks

 

[JadeFarms]

Okay so first I wanna say, please do not use an automatic feeder it will kill them. Once they’ve lost some weight they will perch better. Mine doesn’t like to perch on something a normal chicken would perch on but she loves to stand on a tire. That’s what’s worked for me. Also I don’t know if this is your first time owning Cornish X but watch if they are breathing hard for no reason, make sure they can fly at least 1 1/2 feet. Mine flys about 3 feet. If they can’t fly at all they need to have their feed really cut down. Watch for symptoms of heart problems.

Put their food in a bucket once a day and throw it on the ground, this allows them to look for it and have to move around so they won’t be overly fat. You should use an automatic waterer because they drink too fast if they don’t have one.

 

[JadeFarms]

I’m not sure how they do in the cold because I live in Florida. But they have super thin feathers so just watch them.

 

[aart]

How long have you had them?
Did you keep them confined to the coop for a few days before letting them out into the run?
Not too late to try that.
Might try sprinkling some scratch grains on the ramp, which looks good BTW.

 

[lil cheepers]

Okay so first I wanna say, please do not use an automatic feeder it will kill them. Once they’ve lost some weight they will perch better. Mine doesn’t like to perch on something a normal chicken would perch on but she loves to stand on a tire. That’s what’s worked for me. Also I don’t know if this is your first time owning Cornish X but watch if they are breathing hard for no reason, make sure they can fly at least 1 1/2 feet. Mine flys about 3 feet. If they can’t fly at all they need to have their feed really cut down. Watch for symptoms of heart problems.

Put their food in a bucket once a day and throw it on the ground, this allows them to look for it and have to move around so they won’t be overly fat. You should use an automatic waterer because they drink too fast if they don’t have one.

I definitely read up on them regarding restricting their feed. they were not very mobile when I got them but are much better now. They move around easily and I move their food to different covered areas outside the run so that they have to go out and walk. My bigger concern is housing them at night seeing they don't want to walk up the ramp on their own.

 

[lil cheepers]

How long have you had them?
Did you keep them confined to the coop for a few days before letting them out into the run?
Not too late to try that.
Might try sprinkling some scratch grains on the ramp, which looks good BTW.

I've had them a good couple months now and they were restricted to the coop in the begining. So I thought they would figure out the ramp eventually. I have put food on the ramp and that helps them somewhat but they still won't travel all the way up it on their own.

 

[NatJ]

I've had them a good couple months now and they were restricted to the coop in the begining. So I thought they would figure out the ramp eventually. I have put food on the ramp and that helps them somewhat but they still won't travel all the way up it on their own.

Maybe leave them with no food for part of the afternoon, then put their last meal inside the coop. If they're as food-motivated as most Cornish Cross, they may be willing to go in to eat, and then you can close them in so they must sleep inside.

Do they come down the ramp in the morning?

When they go partway up, do their feet slip or do they have trouble balancing? (It looks fine to me, but I'm not a chicken, so just wondering if we people might be missing something that's obvious to them.)

 

[aart]

I have put food on the ramp and that helps them somewhat but they still won't travel all the way up it on their own.

Are there other windows in coop than the one shown above?
Might try a light in coop, turn it on just before dusk, turn is off when you lock up after dark.
I use one of the those battery operated puck lights.

 

[Leemused]

I adopted six Cornish mix meat hens. I am not intending to eat them. Just letting them live their life and they are laying eggs for me. The problem I'm havnig with them is they won't go up the ramp to the coop at night. We've adjusted the ramp to be longer, less incline and even has a landing halfway. If I physically put them on the bottom of the ramp, they will go up it. But if I don't do that, they will just huddle outside.

I know they don't perch but sit on the floor of the coop. So my question is, can I build them something that will enclose them but let them stay more on the ground so they don't have to go up the ramp? Has anyone tried to do that with them? I can't find much info on housing for them because most people just end up eating them.

I live in CT so it does get cold.

ThanksView attachment 2396317

We rescued a few meat birds as well. We built a new coop/run for our boys to climb in and out of. The door folds down into a ramp. The whole thing is probably about 4 inches off the ground.

We’ve been just picking the girls up to take them in and out in the morning/night. But we’re hoping to move them into a shed without a ramp in the spring/summer.

Good luck with them! They really are sweet chickens.