Help...How do I un-teach my chickens?

[kmart]

My girls have recently learned how to enter the house through the cat flap / doggy door! How can I teach them that this is unacceptable before they ruins my carpet?

 

[Basskids08]

My girls have recently learned how to enter the house through the cat flap / doggy door! How can I teach them that this is unacceptable before they ruins my carpet?

Hello and welcome to BYC. That is just to cute, and people say chickens aren't smart. Is there anyway to block that area off before the door with a fence? You can look through some of these threads, maybe you will find something. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/64/raising-backyard-chickens. I'm sure others have had similar issues and will chime in and add their expertise. Good luck and welcome to our flock!

Oh and here is something that I thought wouldn't make you feel so bad about yours doing that. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/546222/oh-no-my-chicken-learned-to-use-doggy-door

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

I am sure they do make a mess, but it does sound adorable!!! You might try blocking it off for a few days and let your pets out manually for a few days to break the chickens of this habit. They may stop for a while, but I am sure they will always try getting in thru this door.

Good luck with your flock AND your carpet!!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! They are smart aren't they. On some of the threads people with big dogs were making the door heavier/ harder to open so the dogs can still come in but the chickens can't open it. They also make doors with some sort of magnet that goes on the collar that opens the door, people who have raccoon problems often use those. Think you are left with chicken aversion training if you can't figure out some way to make the door so the dogs/cats? can get in but the chickens can't.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC.

Glad you joined us!

 

[ChickCrazed]

My girls have recently learned how to enter the house through the cat flap / doggy door! How can I teach them that this is unacceptable before they ruins my carpet?

That is hilarious, I added a flap to my chicken pop doors to keep wild birds out and it was a huge debacle trying to train the chickens to go through. It is pretty funny that yours taught themselves! I would recommend closing off the door for a few weeks until they stop trying to gain access to your house. Most likely they will quit for a while and then re-discover it though. It is hard to train chickens to do (or not do in the event of my disturbed landscaping) anything!