Cheshire Hen Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Hello, I'm new to the forum and have had a new Cube for four days. Love the Cube, but my four Silkies and Buff Orpington are still struggling coming down the ladder. They get themselves up and tuck themselves in at night with some trepidation, but won't really come down in the morning until I carry them. Even the food and water down below isn't motivating enough, and when I finally carry them down of course they run right to eat and drink. Is it a good sign that they can use it one way, and I should just give them more time, or do you think I should add mesh to the ladder at this point? Thank you for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimnpaula Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Hi and welcome! It's not unusual for chooks to take a bit of time to learn to use the cube ladder, but it does take practice! As our first chickens were ex battery caged hens we made them a long ramp with rungs to help them. Once they were fitter we made them a platform at door level and they just used to jump on and off that, so we took the ramp away, and they managed the ladder if they wanted to. Other people have also made ramps, made extra rungs, or put a log/stump at the bottom for a leg-up. Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire Hen Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thank you, Paula! I have an old ramp I can bring out to ease the transition. Good to know there's no need for "tough love" to acclimate them to the ladder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I brought a ladder from Flyte so Fancy, they made it for me as mine hated the ladder. Hope they have settled down now. There are a few post about the cube ladder on the forum, search and see, sure there quite a lot from a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire Hen Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thanks you for your input, Margaret. Other than not caring for the ladder right now, I do think they're happy in the new home. They've sorted out where to lay eggs and where to sleep, and that is very surprising to me. My silkies and the Orpington have always been very bad about wanting to sleep in the nest, so I can't believe they're doing it right for a change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I have a wooden block at the bottom of the ladder to help them up but TBH they are up or should I say down the ladder before I go out to them in the morning. They Can choose between the and 9 choose the and 2 choose the . I have 2 buff Orpington's, 2 norfolk greys, 4 cuckoo marins, 3 ex commercial. All my girls are chickens that have needed a home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire Hen Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Chicken shack, that's wonderful. I love the idea of rescuing chickens, and I want to try doing that, but I don't think there many groups to facilitate that here in the States -- at least near me. So many of you in the UK talk about raising ex battery hens and that's fantastic! I had a step stool down for the hens for a while, but I noticed they would just jump past it when going up, so I took it away. They seem to think they have to use the vertical side of the ladder, not the rungs, so they are slipping. I'll let them use the old ramp for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Had same problem here. Put strong wire mesh and fake grass mat on mine, plus a log to ease getting up. My Silkie could not get up it. She tried climbing Spider-Man style up the side of the run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire Hen Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Nice setup, Chicabee! Lots of good ideas for me there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wez Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 We bought a run panel piece from the 'spares' section, just the cheapest rectangular one that was from the back of a Cube I think, and cut it to size then cable tied it on. Up they went and no bother since Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I've often wondered why they make the ladder the length it is. Mine have an upturned, pink, colour-co-ordinated washing up bowl at the base of the ladder to hop on to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimnpaula Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I've often wondered why they make the ladder the length it is. Probably so it doesn't catch on the ground as you move the cube around - although the Go-up's ladder reaches the ground I think so there's been a change in thinking there. (Perhaps time for a design change of the cube ladder now ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Welcome to the forum I've had all sorts of birds in the Cube from little Belgian Bantams and Pekins to large Buff Orpingtons and Brahma, they've all managed the Cube ladder just fine and I bet if you leave them to come out of their own accord they'll suss it out soon enough. If they get used to the routine of you picking them up, they'll come to expect it so leave them in and see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire Hen Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 You're right, lwescott! One week later and they're so much better already! Today I watched my Violet, a little silkie, hop down the ladder rung by rung. Some of the others like to jump from the top,but I don't think any of them seem too scared any more. They were very motivated to get down to the food in the morning! It was sweet the way they looked to me for help in the beginning, though. Thanks for the response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Ahh glad to hear it! Look forward to seeing the photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GillC Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Mine had the same problem. One little bantam silkie just couldn't make it up the run at all. The even smaller bantam frizzle managed it, so I think it was just that lulu is a really dopey chicken. I'd been given the cube by a friend who had lost her last hen to a fox and was giving up chicken keeping, and she gave me a kind of extensible ladder along with it which I have brought into service. There are a few photos of it in my blog http://connectedpeasant.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/preparing-for-snow-and-pesky-mice.html, but it sounds as though your hens are rather brighter than mine and are managing better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire Hen Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Yes, some of my girls are better at it than others! I like your blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangediva Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Mine had the same problem. One little bantam silkie just couldn't make it up the run at all. The even smaller bantam frizzle managed it, so I think it was just that lulu is a really dopey chicken. I'd been given the cube by a friend who had lost her last hen to a fox and was giving up chicken keeping, and she gave me a kind of extensible ladder along with it which I have brought into service. There are a few photos of it in my blog http://connectedpeasant.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/preparing-for-snow-and-pesky-mice.html, but it sounds as though your hens are rather brighter than mine and are managing better Your ladder looks brilliant - and I have bookmarked your blog Love the "hen brothel" I'm going to have the same night time issues as you when/if my son goes to uni in September. I don't really go away much (if at all!) but I do regularly work until 10pm and sometimes until 2am so I'll have to think about cold evenings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
