bellekatz Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Well they arrived on Thursday, but haven't set foot in it yet!! Two eggs laid in the run and they seem to like sleeping under the Go Up where I can't get to them with the extension on!! Anyone any ideas how I can get them in? I know about the torch trick, but at the moment they stay up way later than me!!! Thinking i may slot bamboo through the run to block off the bit under the house later and see if that helps?? Any other little tricks gratefully received as I am getting too good at egg rolling down the run with a bamboo cane!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Wait untill they are sleeping and use a broom to slide them to the run door. Then get them and stuff them in the coop. All sounds rather undignified, but it might do the trick. I had to crawl in mine to get them out the run and into the coop the first night. Was a real struggle (not the chickens, but me being in the run...). But seeing you have an extension, this might not be an option. Otherwise I think the only option is indeed the bamboo sticks. Edit: Btw I only had to do this once. Do make sure that you close the coop door the first night they spend in there. After the first night, they have always put themselves to bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Well I can get them to the end of the run and they let me pick them up and put them in the back door. However they, as yet, are not even thinking about using the ladder to go in themselves and would rather sleep in the run! They were very wary this morning coming down and one layed in the dustbath today despite there being eggs in the nest box this morning. Nor sure how I am going to get them up and down to the Go Up Hope someone can tell me they will get used to it in time - never had this problem with my eglus or cubes before so I'm not too sure what the actual problem is -silly sllly girls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I found that the ladder was too slippery for my girls. They couldn't use the ladder either. I solved it by covering the steps with some hemp rope, but some other folk used stuff like anti slip stuff you put under your rugs, which seemed to work fine as well. My girls are now quite a bit bigger and I think could use the ladder without the rope as well, but I'm leaving it on, just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggshell Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I used bamboo slotted through the run for the first few days. I made it a slope in line with the steps of the ladder, so it just became a bamboo/metal ladder all across the run. Then I shooed them in from the front of the run and they found themselves going up just because that was the only place to go. They got the hang of it within four or five days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 So I bought some rug stopper stuff and put it on the rungs of the ladder, but they were still hanging around at the bottom so tonight I have crawled through the run ( still luckily pretty clean!!) and deposited them through the front door! I did have one egg layer in the nest box, ( at some point ) and my ginger Elanor did go in this afternoon , spend 20 mins in the nest box before coming out without an egg! She chose to do it when I had taken the ladder out for alteration and just flapped her way up there Hoping they get the hang of this soon as it's doing nothing for my knees! (Hope no one had a camera!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
