Help, ideas on how to get new chicken to get in coop, PROPERLY!!!

eeiko321

Songster
11 Years
Sep 1, 2008
174
1
121
HI guys

Ive just bought another new hen 2 days ago. The older hen is the first pet...

Still with 2 hens, the younger one is the newer & the older hen is the existing.

this new hen is quite docile, which is good...im very happy with this hens behavoir...

however, EXCEPT at bed-time. The younger one seems to sleep first, 15 Min's before the old gal.

but the problem is that in my coop, there is a ramp going in, the younger hen plants herself right at the door on the ramp.

and when its time for old gal to go in...there a BUTTOCKS jamming the door....she stresses out like crazy!
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i gently shove the new girl to let the older one in.....but after few Min's she comes back at the door again.
(which by now it doesn't matter, but i don't want her to have this habit...because the same thing will probably happen tomorrow)

i know the MAIN solution to this, as they say...new girls....lock them in the coop for 5 days or so, supplying them water and food. so in turn, they get used to the coop and know it is a safe place. But in Sydney Australia at the moment, were having 35 degrees Celsius weather. (90degrees Fahrenheit), with the harshness of the heat in Aust, she would melt in there.

so what can i do?
I'm thinking of either, get a water spray bottle and perhaps spray her bum sticking out so she walks in and learns not to leave her bum out. (but this method, i don't want her to fear me & she may feel nervous around me later on)

or

the probably more sensible thing would be to lock the door at night when both are in....so she cant stick her bum out. open it during the day to let them out since it will be hot all day, do that for a few days.
but this i feel would be ineffective.

any suggestions?
i know the water spray sounds silly but I'm sure they learn that way.
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Ive attached a picture of my type of coop
as you can see the ramp.....leading to the coop entrance...
the door is approx 5" x 5"....
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you could put something wobbly in the door that she won't want to roost on. or just go out every few minutes and move her till she gets the idea.

by the way, every night going to bed for chickens is a complete crazy mess
 
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well the older hen has no problems as always sleeps in the same corner all the time..... shes really well behaved that one... i don't think ill ever find a chicken like her ever again.

do you think she will eventually get the idea if i keep moving her?????

tonight Ive just shut the sliding door on the ramp so she cant sit there again for the rest of the night.
i guess doing this every night is the same? but the problem is...if I'm working back late and come back at night...i might find a mess if the young ones decide to plant her bum there again.

do you think the spray bottle is a good idea? but that might traumatise her?
 
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well there is a little window in the coop area so there should be some sort of light coming in. they sleep just before dusk.
the caged area in the picture on the left hand door, Ive basically covered 3/4 of the door to stop draught...but as you can see in my second pic what it looks like.

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