Not one of my silkies have figured out the ramp in the three weeks they've lived outside.
The coop is about two feet off the ground with an attached ramp by the door.
We hatched our 11 adorable little silkies on June 6th, they are now 8 weeks old.
We moved them outside when they were about 4 weeks, keeping them confined inside the coop the first week before letting them out. Every night since then, I have had to go pick each silkie up and place them inside the coop.
If not put away, they'll try to just huddle together under the coop.
When they are let out each morning they don't use the ramp. They throw themselves off the edge from the door and often times hit themselves against the enclosure wall. Once down, they never go back up to the coop on their own.
I've come to terms that these little morons will never be self-sufficient. They'll always need to be babied. But is there any way I can teach them to just use the ramp like every other chicken?
Methods I've tried-
Waiting;
Usually waiting it out works alright. Most birds pick it up within a couple days. But it's been three weeks already sooo...
Putting three chicks who do know how to use a ramp in with them;
We have three Orpington chicks who are just a week younger than the silkies. I tossed them in one day a couple of weeks ago and after making sure they were doing alright together left them in for a few days. I didn't want the three chicks to lose whatever standing they had with the main flock however so quickly returned them.
Methods I'm considering-
Just buying a coop for them that sits on the ground or closer to it. If they don't wanna learn to walk on a plank of wood- I don't think I could make them.
I could just make it easier on everyone by giving them a shelter they can access on their own / get out of without hurting themselves in the process.
The coop is about two feet off the ground with an attached ramp by the door.
We hatched our 11 adorable little silkies on June 6th, they are now 8 weeks old.
We moved them outside when they were about 4 weeks, keeping them confined inside the coop the first week before letting them out. Every night since then, I have had to go pick each silkie up and place them inside the coop.
If not put away, they'll try to just huddle together under the coop.
When they are let out each morning they don't use the ramp. They throw themselves off the edge from the door and often times hit themselves against the enclosure wall. Once down, they never go back up to the coop on their own.
I've come to terms that these little morons will never be self-sufficient. They'll always need to be babied. But is there any way I can teach them to just use the ramp like every other chicken?
Methods I've tried-
Waiting;
Usually waiting it out works alright. Most birds pick it up within a couple days. But it's been three weeks already sooo...
Putting three chicks who do know how to use a ramp in with them;
We have three Orpington chicks who are just a week younger than the silkies. I tossed them in one day a couple of weeks ago and after making sure they were doing alright together left them in for a few days. I didn't want the three chicks to lose whatever standing they had with the main flock however so quickly returned them.
Methods I'm considering-
Just buying a coop for them that sits on the ground or closer to it. If they don't wanna learn to walk on a plank of wood- I don't think I could make them.
I could just make it easier on everyone by giving them a shelter they can access on their own / get out of without hurting themselves in the process.
