- Apr 3, 2009
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Hey everyone!
I'm new to the forum, my name is Stephen and I live in NY. I've just recently started working for a farmer, and right now the big project is setting up a fence so that the chickens can get outside. This is turning to be a bigger project than anticipated, because the chickens are on the second floor of the building. The fence part is pretty straight forward, but it seems like there are so many complications with such a long ramp that it could be a problem. There's also a bottom floor to this building but it hasn't been used in ages and would need a lot of work before we could put chickens in it.
We plan on cutting out a little doorway about 8 feet up, and then having the ramp come down from there. I feel like the farm may end up having to hire a professional to do this because it's so complicated, but here are my ideas:
If the ramp is going to at a 45 degree angle, which is definitely steep but seems like it'd be ok, and the height is 8 feet, then the distance from the bottom of the ramp to the building would also be 8 feet. And since a^2 + b^2 = c^2, the ramp would need to be 11.3 feet long. Now IMHO, I'd say the ramp should be 12 feet long to make the angle a little less steep and to account for human error.
So we have a 12' long ramp going from the chicken door to the ground. Next I was trying to think about the spacing of the "steps," especially since this is a very high, long, and steep ramp. My idea is that they should be placed about 4 inches apart, and each step be about 1 inch wide and 1 inch tall. This will give the chickens the ability to grasp on to them easily and be able to reach each step easily. That would mean there would need to be about 30-35 steps.
Next, since there are quite a few chickens in this coop, I think it would be good if the ramp would be wide enough that two chickens could go down side by side. These are Rhode Island Red layers, so I figure about 1.5-2 feet wide would suffice. We're also planning on putting up wire on the sides of the ramp so that they can't tumble over the side.
So what a problem huh?! I figure we'll also need extra support for the ramp about halfway up to make sure it won't collapse.
So I personally don't have a lot of experience with chickens, though other people on the farm do. (I have a lot more experience with internet forums). I know this is kind of a long-winded and complicated problem but really any input you guys can give me would be appreciated. We really want these chickens to be free-range and be able to get access to the wormys and to sunshine, so that they're as happy as they can be.
To recap: would 45 degrees be ok considering how high up the ramp is going? Is 2 feet wide ok even though there are a lot of birds, or should it be wider? Is 4" spacing of 1"x1" steps about right? Do you think this is even possible?
Thanks in advanced for any suggestions or thoughts,
Stephen
I'm new to the forum, my name is Stephen and I live in NY. I've just recently started working for a farmer, and right now the big project is setting up a fence so that the chickens can get outside. This is turning to be a bigger project than anticipated, because the chickens are on the second floor of the building. The fence part is pretty straight forward, but it seems like there are so many complications with such a long ramp that it could be a problem. There's also a bottom floor to this building but it hasn't been used in ages and would need a lot of work before we could put chickens in it.
We plan on cutting out a little doorway about 8 feet up, and then having the ramp come down from there. I feel like the farm may end up having to hire a professional to do this because it's so complicated, but here are my ideas:
If the ramp is going to at a 45 degree angle, which is definitely steep but seems like it'd be ok, and the height is 8 feet, then the distance from the bottom of the ramp to the building would also be 8 feet. And since a^2 + b^2 = c^2, the ramp would need to be 11.3 feet long. Now IMHO, I'd say the ramp should be 12 feet long to make the angle a little less steep and to account for human error.
So we have a 12' long ramp going from the chicken door to the ground. Next I was trying to think about the spacing of the "steps," especially since this is a very high, long, and steep ramp. My idea is that they should be placed about 4 inches apart, and each step be about 1 inch wide and 1 inch tall. This will give the chickens the ability to grasp on to them easily and be able to reach each step easily. That would mean there would need to be about 30-35 steps.
Next, since there are quite a few chickens in this coop, I think it would be good if the ramp would be wide enough that two chickens could go down side by side. These are Rhode Island Red layers, so I figure about 1.5-2 feet wide would suffice. We're also planning on putting up wire on the sides of the ramp so that they can't tumble over the side.
So what a problem huh?! I figure we'll also need extra support for the ramp about halfway up to make sure it won't collapse.
So I personally don't have a lot of experience with chickens, though other people on the farm do. (I have a lot more experience with internet forums). I know this is kind of a long-winded and complicated problem but really any input you guys can give me would be appreciated. We really want these chickens to be free-range and be able to get access to the wormys and to sunshine, so that they're as happy as they can be.
To recap: would 45 degrees be ok considering how high up the ramp is going? Is 2 feet wide ok even though there are a lot of birds, or should it be wider? Is 4" spacing of 1"x1" steps about right? Do you think this is even possible?
Thanks in advanced for any suggestions or thoughts,
Stephen