Hens won't use the floor door to exit the coop.

[klinderman]

Looking back I totally wish we designed the coop different! It definitely kills the available floor space, but it does do a good job keeping wind and snow out in the winter months. I like the idea of making the door opening longer, I will try to do that. I will also build a new ramp that's maybe a lighter color with better footing so that they can actually see it better. The ramp now is all weather worn and blends rather nicely into the ground color. These are great ideas, thanks everyone!

 

[jimbob86]

You may be exactly right on the money. Think of it this way, would you jump down a hole that didn't seem to have a bottom?

On my grandparents farm, way back when when dirt was just being formed. I was tasked to lengthen the trap door entrance/exit of their above ground coop. I was told that some of the hens couldn't see the light and wouldn't leave. The solution was to make the "door" longer so they could see the ground beyond the ramp. It was not hard to make the fix and the balking hens never had any stuck inside problems ever again.

Quote: I made my "trap door" ramp very long to begin with- 3 feet long, 10"wide, and it only rises 18" or so ...... the chickens had no reservations going up or down ..... I was looking at the coop a couple of weeks ago and realized they were not using over half of the opening ....... "wasted floor space" ..... so I covered half of it..... it did not bother them a bit. They are in the habit of going up and down there, and when I lower the door in the morning, the only isssue is when all 9 of them try to race each other to breakfast ......


Seems to me that you could make the thing longer until the 2 with reservations got into the habit....... and then put it back the way it is now.......

 

[gpeters3]

Hi guy I have to assist them to the run, or else they get trapped up in the coop all day! They have no problem going up into the coop at night, or if they want to lay eggs, its just that once they are up there, there's no getting out for them. Has anyone else experienced this?

I have a bantam on the bottom of the pecking order in my flock who is always the last to leave and stays away from the others, even her bantam sister raised by the same brood hen. She waits til all are out of sight then hops off her perch and runs like mad out the door. She is also the last to go back in at night and no amount of coaxing with corn or gently chasing her gets her back in. I have to wait til almost dark to try to close them in for the night because of her. There is one hen she often nests with but I havent picked her out yet (there are 4 very similar hens) to determine if they hang together outside.