Another plan and then another plan!

I am getting to my wits end with trying to train the terrible twosome to go in at bedtime. I keep trying different things in the hope of something working.

The night before last I decided that an hour before the pop hole closed I would remove Mango and put her in the “broody” crate. I thought that if she wasn’t there Cloud would go in and then I could return Mango to the chicken run and she would go in. If it worked I thought I could do this for a week to establish a routine and then stop doing this.

I kept popping back to check on proceedings. Several times Cloud went in the chicken shed and I thought it might be working. But each time when I next checked Cloud was back out in the run. Cloud was patrolling the entire length of the run.

I realised that Cloud was looking for Mango. She was only going in the chicken shed to check if Mango was there as she didn’t perch but just had a look around and then popped out again and continued to roam the length of the run.

Just before the pop hole was about to close Cloud was at the bottom of the run. I thought I would put Mango on the chickens’ patio and if she didn’t see Cloud she would go in. Of course that didn’t work! Cloud was immediately by Mango’s side and despite me trying to herd them in they resisted.

I scooped Mango up and shoved her in just as the pop hole started to close. Cloud followed her just in time and I held the door open to give them enough light to jump to the perch. That’s another plan that didn’t work!

So last night another plan was needed. I decided that it has to be Cloud that goes in the “broody” crate. Execute the plan in reverse. Cloud is more difficult to pick up so I planned to lure them with sunflower hearts and grab Cloud and put her in the crate. It was easy to grab her while having some sun flower hearts.

It was a repeat of the night before. This time Mango was patrolling the entire run looking for Cloud. She didn’t even look in the chicken shed though.

When it got to nearly the time for the pop hole to close I returned Cloud to the run. Neither of them showed any sign of going in. I eventually shoved Mango through the pop hole. The pop hole started to close so I shoved Cloud through too. I held the door open so that they could see to jump to the perch.

I felt deflated. I am not sure there is anything more I can do. I have hit a wall, I am all out of ideas. I am not sure I will ever get these two to go in.

My very last hope is that eventually Cloud will go broody again and maybe like last time that will kick start them going in again. The difference will be that they won’t be broody together. It may also go the same way of them going in for a short time and then changing their mind.

It’s about all I have left to hope for though as everything else isn’t working and I can’t keep going on like this as it’s a lot of effort for no return. For now I think I will have to admit defeat. I really didn’t want to give in this time but I am getting nowhere with this. I have never had this before but for now I feel beaten.