Illinois...

[Faraday40]

I finally got around to adding a chicken door to our coop Sunday evening. Through out the summer we just left the larger door meant for maintenance access open. The downside to the larger door being left open was rain/snow could blow into the coop. Anyway, I put in the door and added a ramp. On Monday and again yesterday 4 of our hens went under the coop rather than in it - yesterday our Speckled Sussex was actually on top of the 6ft fence just next to the coop.
How do I get theses hens to use the chicken door? We have been shooing them out from under the coop, picking them up and placing them in the chicken door hoping they would realize that is their way back in. I am just not certain this approach is working. More worrying, the water and food is in the coop now to keep it from getting rained/snowed on. I have a water in the run, but it is not heated and freezes on me.

It's been a while, but I think I may have had a similar issue. (Now the newbies learn by watching the mature ones, so no teaching required.) I probably trained them with treats. Place some mealworms up the ramp & by the door area. I remember training them to come inside the coop when called. (I'd stand inside & call them while shaking the treat can. They'll come running from anywhere when they hear that sound!)

 

[BReeder!]

Do they go out the pop door?
It will take time for them to learn.

Yes, they all go out the pop door. Only 3 go back in through the pop door. They used to all go in on their own through the larger door. They were all coop trained and would line up on the roost by sundown. AND THEN I DECIDED THEY NEED A POP DOOR...
I am going to try to make the ramp less steep by placing a thick paver under the end to lift it a bit. I might add more slats/steps on the ramp as well. Currently the slats are 1" wide, 3/4" thick, 7 1/2" long and 6" apart. The slats are nailed to a 1"x8" (3/4"x7 1/2") board. They angle is slightly steeper than 30 degrees I would say, but not 45 degrees. I am thinking making it 30 degrees or less is better and may solve at least part of the problem. I may just add more to split the 6" gaps in case that's a bit too wide for some of them. Two of the naughty hens are orps and one is a light brahma - they are big girls who shouldn't have problems walking the 6" spacing on the ramp. It could be an issue for the speckled sussex possibly though because she is smaller than the others.

@Faraday40 My coop has a low profile so standing in it means opening the larger door and the roof hatch - sort of defeats the purpose because they will not be forced to come in through the pop door. I have put scratch in the coop, but that hasn't worked. I think the other 3 hens who are willing to enter through the pop door just devour the scratch.

 

[cavemanrich]

Decreasing the angle I think will solve the problem. They can jump up onto the lower part of the ramp with no problems. I don't think the the slats are problem.
Not sure how high you need to raise the lower end, but an 8" cinder block works well.

 

[Molpet]

Decreasing the angle I think will solve the problem. They can jump up onto the lower part of the ramp with no problems. I don't think the the slats are problem.
Not sure how high you need to raise the lower end, but an 8" cinder block works well.

x2

 

[Molpet]

I thought this had some good info on homemade waterers https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ater-bottles-dont-repeat-our-mistake.1281594/

 

[Faraday40]

I thought this had some good info on homemade waterers https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ater-bottles-dont-repeat-our-mistake.1281594/

That's interesting - and surprising! I would think that a plastic juice bottle would be "food grade"

 

[Faraday40]

Seramas are 5 Days Old:


White:


Chipmunk:


Yellow:




They're already getting little wing sprouts. They're also getting spoiled. Mama is DD's fav silkie, so of course no one complained when they just showed up inside the house. This is the 1st time we have a broody raising seramas. They are so tiny compared to the mama. (Normally it's reverse: a bantam broody raising giant sized chicks.)

 

[Molpet]

Seramas are 5 Days Old:


White:


Chipmunk:


Yellow:




They're already getting little wing sprouts. They're also getting spoiled. Mama is DD's fav silkie, so of course no one complained when they just showed up inside the house. This is the 1st time we have a broody raising seramas. They are so tiny compared to the mama. (Normally it's reverse: a bantam broody raising giant sized chicks.)

now I want to fire up the incubator

 

[Faraday40]

now I want to fire up the incubator

Well, mine's still in storage above the garage and it didn't do me any good!
My silly hens went broody & it was more temptation than I could bear...... Now I know my serama roo is doing his job, and we have chicks in the dining room.

 

[BReeder!]

That's interesting - and surprising! I would think that a plastic juice bottle would be "food grade"

Plastic bottles from juice, soda, etc should be food grade initially, but I learned they will deteriorate rather quickly. In just a few weeks the plastic can become much softer and will possible leach chemicals as it degrades.