Easter Egger unable to get back into coop

[HoneyBeeHomestead]

Hello. One of my Easter Egger hens seems to have a bit of a conundrum, and neither of us can figure out why. She cannot get back into the coop, but she gets out just fine. As you can see from the picture, it's a small jump up, and it's about the same height on both sides. I have 60 other hens that go in and out no problem, but this girl will stand outside in the pouring rain, looking miserable, right next to the door. I have to pick her up and set her on the ledge, and she hops down calmly, not panicked or anything. She roosts just fine. She hops right out in the morning with all the other hens, spends the day outside, then stands next to the door until I have to pick her up to go in. I thought that by picking her up and setting her on the ledge every night, she'd eventually figure out how to go in on her own, but she hasn't. It's not that she doesn't want to go in, she seems to be unable to, mentally, jump up there for some unknown reason. This has been going on for months. So, I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts as to why this could be. Both serious and non-serious answers welcome...

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Does she have a tail?
That sounds funny but I'm genuinely curious if she's rumpless or just hunched in those photos.
Has she always had this issue?
Would placing a brick or cinderblock like a step help her?

 

[kcult]

Maybe it's a mental block.

Try setting a real block beside the ledge to give her something to jump on first before jumping on or over the ledge.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Build her a ramp.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

It's possible she's just rather dense and doesn't understand she can jump over it the same way she does every morning. Or maybe she's sore or injured and doesn't want to. Or maybe she just wants attention. (Unlikely, roosting instincts are pretty strong, but it's a funny thought.) Hopefully there will be an easy solution.

 

[kcult]

It's possible she's just rather dense and doesn't understand she can jump over it the same way she does every morning. Or maybe she's sore or injured and doesn't want to. Or maybe she just wants attention. (Unlikely, roosting instincts are pretty strong, but it's a funny thought.) Hopefully there will be an easy solution.

I had bantams that I would have described as dense. They figured out they could jump up and over a 4ft chain link fence and browse in my neighbor's yard, but couldn't figure out how to get back over when it was time to get back in the coop. They would just run up and down the fence line.

I would have to find a soft spot in the fence, pull it up off the ground and place a brick under it so they could run under the fence and back into my yard and then the coop.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I had bantams that I would have described as dense. They figured out they could jump up and over a 4ft chain link fence and browse in my neighbor's yard, but couldn't figure out how to get back over when it was time to get back in the coop. They would just run up and down the fence line.

I would have to find a soft spot in the fence, pull it up off the ground and place a brick under it so they could run under the fence and back into my yard and then the coop.

Chickens are only smart enough to be chickens. I don't understand this "one-way" mentality of their brains.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I had bantams that I would have described as dense. They figured out they could jump up and over a 4ft chain link fence and browse in my neighbor's yard, but couldn't figure out how to get back over when it was time to get back in the coop. They would just run up and down the fence line.

I would have to find a soft spot in the fence, pull it up off the ground and place a brick under it so they could run under the fence and back into my yard and then the coop.

Chickens are only smart enough to be chickens. I don't understand this "one-way" mentality of their brains.

I had a hen just like this. Her name was Nutmeg. Speckled Sussex, whip-smart in so many ways except...spatially?? She was the genius in the flock, but could genuinely never figure out fences, doors, or even corners. I would open their pop door and come back half an hour later and she'd still be stuck pacing in the coop, completely baffled as to how her sister hens had gotten out (the door is open, Nutmeg, you dolt.) It actually saved her life once - a coyote hopped our 7-foot wooden fence and out of the four in the yard, it killed two hens, halfway gutted another, and the EE who could actually fly broke her beak rather dramatically escaping. And Nutmeg was still in the coop, totally unharmed. Stupid bird. She was great.

It probably has rather the opposite effect when this...density...is preventing a hen from safely roosting. Hopefully a little ramp/step will do the trick. It's so odd though because that wooden lip isn't even taller than she is.

 

[rosemarythyme]

A few bricks or pavers or a cinder block will hopefully be enough to give her a boost to get all the way in by herself. Otherwise joke's on you, she might prefer a human elevator.