Single hen

[Guest]

my girls have never really had a problem with the cube ladder once they got used to it but it was wet this morning and Maud slid off it and landed in a heap! She seems to be okay but she came down with a thump and my heart was in my mouth when I saw her!

 

Omlet should really consider putting some sort of grip on the ladder. The roosting bars have an embossed pattern on (presumably for grip) not sure why the ladder doesn't but it should have.

[Barkisland]

IMO the cube ladders are rubbish, and I'd like to take mine off altogether. My girls have a wooden ramp up to the cube door instead. They were never able to use the cube ladder.

[Mrs Frugal]

My girls have never been able to manage the Cube ladder. It doesn't have enough grip and after seeing my poor sweet Clarry struggling to get up when she was so poorly, LSH made a wooden ramp which fits over the ladder and bless her, she could manage that. We've kept it on ever since.

[chelsea]

I also think its rubbish and poorly designed our lot have never got on with it and I wouldnt even entertain my Ella trying to get up and down it so we removed it and put a mezzanine table right level with the cube door so they can just walk out and not fall down!

 

Its rungs need to be closer together and have grips.

[Troy]

Totally agree. I am surprised that omlet have not yet changed the design. Definately have the rungs too far apart, ladder is too far off the ground and very slippery when wet.

The big girls seem fine but the bantams sometimes struggle. We have considered making a wooden ramp but I would love to see an omlet improvement to this. Their roosting bars have been such a success and I think its a shame that the ladder on the cube lets it down. Having said that I wouldnt swap my cube for anything else so come on Omlet surprise us with a new ladder!

 

Troy

[Janet G]

Agree with comments about the ladder. We solved this by enclosing each rung with pipe insulation - the stuff that comes as a grey tube with a slit along the length. Hens pecked at it, they seem to love polystyrene, so we wrapped duck tape (silver so it matches the grey) round each covered rung. it looks rather fetching & works a treat, & all the hens can use it, even the daftest. We've also put half a log on it's side at the bottom as a first step up. Hope this helps.

 

Janet.

[Sarahw12]

I've just ordered a cube as an upgrade from our home-made house/run, and would like to know whether anyone's hens DO manage to use the ladder happily as it is, or whether I need to face facts and start planning for an alternative.

 

I'd really like to be able to use the ladder as supplied, 'cos one of the main reasons for the upgrade is that I want to be able to move the thing around more easily/often, and if I have to bodge a ladder, that's bound to fall off everytime I move the cube!

 

Cheers,

 

Sarah.

[Guest]

Hi

I suppose the ladder is off the ground to move the cubes around but my cube came yesterday and probably my own fault as i butted the cube outside the run and in 10mins made a wooden one which they came down for the first time today..mind u they all jumped off on about step 3 so never actually walked all the way down. However I havent seen how they go up to the cube..so will be interesting to see if they hop up??Or start at the bottom?

 

My plastic ladder is lying on the lawn I probably would have used it but it is my fault due to Wir.

I have read here that particularly bantams can find it difficult to begin with..not sure how your elderly hen would manage either....probably another rung on the ladder may make a difference...not sure about a wet ladder but know what u mean

indie

[poachedegg]

Our chickens all use the ladder perfectly well - our 3 ex batts have just moved into the cube and they are managing it well too.

 

We have had or ex batts 2 months and think they would have struggled using it when we first got them, so it can depend on what type of chickens you have.

[Seagazer]

My girls all managed to climb up the ladder but only one of them was ever able to climb down. The other two used to slide/fly down.

 

They now have a wooden ramp/ladder that Tony built and all walk up and down it with no problems.

 

Perhaps Omlet do need to look at this.

[Jules.]

I wonder if the cube ladder has been designed to be asthetically pleasing, rather then functional?

It is also at such an angle so that it doesn't protrude too far for people who only have the standard cube run.

 

Having "horizontal" bars with wider grips might go a long way to remedying the problems .

My hens flap their way up & down the ladder.

[Guest]

as I said in my first post, the girls were managing fine but when the ladder is wet it can be quite dangerous as it's VERY slippery.

[toastedblue]

this is my solution to the ladder problem...

 

 

our hens couldn't cope with the standard ladder so I added the wooden rungs

they are cut at an angle on each end, so they sit horizontally, and held in place with short screws.

now the hens have no problem getting up or down

 

a simpler solution, if you only have minimal tools, would be to screw a sheet of ply to the ladder and some 1/2" x 1" slats to that for grip

 

HTH

[poachedegg]

Having "horizontal" bars with wider grips might go a long way to remedying the problems .

My hens flap their way up & down the ladder.

 

I think perhaps some grip like on the roosting bars would be a good idea.

[Guest]

Having "horizontal" bars with wider grips might go a long way to remedying the problems .

My hens flap their way up & down the ladder.

 

I think perhaps some grip like on the roosting bars would be a good idea.

 

exactly what I said!

 

 

 

I mailed Johannes (and sent him this link) about the issue a while ago and here's the reply...

 

Hi Justine,

 

thanks for the link and great to get everyone's feedback. We are always looking at ways of improving the product and we will definitely take these comments into consideration.

 

I'm afraid I can't give you any time frames for design updates but we will release them as soon as they are available.

 

yours,

 

Johannes

[Sarahw12]

Thanks all.

 

I think I'll plan to start with the ladder as it is, but careful placement of the large log they have to play with, so it maybe acts as a extra step to help them get started...

 

Time will tell, I suppose!

[Gallina]

One of my hens sustained a badly injured leg a year or so ago while in the run, and I can only think she had an accident with the ladder.

 

I originally thought that the ladder was all right because my hens were managing to get to bed. But when for the first time I saw the enormous difficulty the Cochins were having getting up (and down, because they can't fly), I put in wooden ramps immediately. These are a great success: the hens love standing on them, and it gives them an extra hiding place underneath.