Roosting Time ~

[CK Chickadilly]

I have 12 Silkcos that I trained to their cage for bedtime & every night when the big guy would crow, they would all go into their cage to roost.

Now all of a sudden they have decided to roost on a cage stand the DH made & I have to put them in their cage 1 by 1.

Why are they doing this? Should I lock them up for a few days again to get the idea back into their heads? (More poop in the cage if I lock them up). UGH!

I lock them in for safety at night. Otherwise if I didn't I would care. Eventually the cage stand will have a cage on it but not until next spring.

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[@migocontodos~]

Locking them back up would be about the only thing you could do.
They've decided they like the bench to roost on better!

 

[CK Chickadilly]

Well they do have more room on the cage stand than in the cage itself. GRRRR! Crazy chickens!

 

[Jenski]

What about incorporating a snack into the bedtime routine? They like to load up before bed anyway. Maybe you could put something they really like in the area you want them to go, and pair that reward with your evening "call." Once the reward is paired with the stimulus, they should continue to associate the two and may only need occasional reinforcement.

Signed,

B.F. Skinner

 

[@migocontodos~]

Quote:
Were they over crowded in the cage?

 

[CK Chickadilly]

@migocontodos~ :

Quote:
Were they over crowded in the cage?

No they have enough room but there are like 5 different crossboards on the cage stand & the roost there is only 1.

I think maybe what is happening too is they are breaking off into groups with a roo & they want to be next to a certain chicken, etc. If they go into the cage, they might not get the spot they want.​