WitchHazel Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Hello again. My girls are struggling quite a bit with the Cube ladder. They seem to find it difficult to get a grip on it. Did your hens manage OK? Did you do anything to the steps to help them? Hazel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Someone put pipe insulation round them but the chickens ate it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 Someone put pipe insulation round them but the chickens ate it Oh. Maybe I should just let them get on with it then! I've realised its made worse by Scarlet sitting just inside the entrance and refusing to let the others get in...so they wibble wobble uncertainly and then fall off. There are some things with Hens you just can't prepare for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Some of my girls struggle with the ladder too so you are not alone. 3 of my 7 point blankly refuse to use it to get down in the morning and just fly/flap their way to the floor of the run. 2 others find it ok and the final 2 slide down the side of the ladder and usually fall the last 2 steps! Im actually thinking of fixing some branches to each rung to give them a little more grip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 (edited) I'm sure I saw a note recently (possibly in the chickens forum) about someone adapting their cube for ex-bats as they were not strong enough to climb the ladder I think they just used a plank of wood with thin battons nailed across it. Sorry if my terminology is wrong - DIY is not my thing Edited February 28, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMcHen Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 What about trying Plastidip as has been recommended for the roosting bars. As well as making them easier to clean it makes things non slippery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 II think they just used a plank of wood with thin battons nailed across it. Sorry if my terminology is wrong - DIY is not my thing Sounds terminologically correct to me!....I'm sure there is a picture somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Egluntine is right - there is a picture in this thread http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15389&highlight=ramp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 That's brilliant, thank you for posting the link. I had tried searching, but didn't use the keyword "ramp". Delilah is managing OK, the other two still aren't. When they came out this morning, Bluebelle came down first, followed by Lydia (Buff Sussex) who was stuggling a bit, and Scarlett (TNN) who was also struggling. Then Scarlett slipped and they all went down like skittles! I'll see how they go for the next day or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 They are pretty new to it aren't they so I would give them a bit more time to get the hang of it - mine all seem to manage fine, although I recall in the early days they were a little unco-ordinated It's a bit of a flap-fly-walk in the mornings here as they are all pushing each other to get out first ...mind you its a totally different story when the ladders icy - for some reason on those mornings thay all want to try and walk down the ladder... Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 This is what I did for my ex batts http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=23183 They now have no problems getting in and out. Regards Dodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Very neat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 nks very much for the replies and pictures. We're going to give it a few more days and see how they get on, but DH has said he'll make a ramp if we need one. Hazel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 We've had to put a ramp on the ladder as my girls kept sliding down or fallilng off, bless them. We tried pipe insulation but as has already been said by others, the girls ate it . The ramp is working nicely and they don't fall off anymore . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...