I have a year old Wyandotte rooster named Stan. He's paper trained.
The way this came about began during the worst part of this winter when I'd bring Stan inside to relax in a pet crate when the weather was too cold and inhospitable for him to do his normal patrol of the exterior of the pen, and Stan hates any weather that's not perfectly lovely. He's a bit of a wimp, actually.
He couldn't hang out inside the coop because he was bothering the nine hens as they were trying to lay. He was getting into the nest box with them, fluffing up the wood shavings then settling down next to them while they tried to concentrate on their business. Ultimately they had to escape the forced togetherness by fleeing to another nest. It was just easier on everyone to have him spend the morning in the crate in the garage.
When I'd go out to check on him, I began to notice he would rarely soil the pine shavings I had in the crate to soak up any messes. Concerned he might be holding it and that causing him problems, I got him out and put him on a newspaper on the window shelf to see what would happen. Almost immediately he delivered. So from then on, when he had to be in the crate, I'd haul him out every few hours, and he's always planted one on the paper, making it easy to keep the crate clean.
It seemed like it was the natural thing for him to do it on the paper right from the start. People don't give chickens nearly enough credit for being smart.
Here he is after having just taken care of bidness, proud of himself and no doubt relieved as well.
The way this came about began during the worst part of this winter when I'd bring Stan inside to relax in a pet crate when the weather was too cold and inhospitable for him to do his normal patrol of the exterior of the pen, and Stan hates any weather that's not perfectly lovely. He's a bit of a wimp, actually.
He couldn't hang out inside the coop because he was bothering the nine hens as they were trying to lay. He was getting into the nest box with them, fluffing up the wood shavings then settling down next to them while they tried to concentrate on their business. Ultimately they had to escape the forced togetherness by fleeing to another nest. It was just easier on everyone to have him spend the morning in the crate in the garage.
When I'd go out to check on him, I began to notice he would rarely soil the pine shavings I had in the crate to soak up any messes. Concerned he might be holding it and that causing him problems, I got him out and put him on a newspaper on the window shelf to see what would happen. Almost immediately he delivered. So from then on, when he had to be in the crate, I'd haul him out every few hours, and he's always planted one on the paper, making it easy to keep the crate clean.
It seemed like it was the natural thing for him to do it on the paper right from the start. People don't give chickens nearly enough credit for being smart.
Here he is after having just taken care of bidness, proud of himself and no doubt relieved as well.
Last edited:
