Anyone have a coop door that doubles as a ramp?

[stone_family3]

I'm thinking of making a door that swings down and turns into a ramp. I'd love to see some examples.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Sounds like a good idea. First thing that comes to mind is spacing the hinged bottom so the hinges aren`t obstructed by debris. Another thought is that any gaps created might contribute to drafts. Sounds good, though. Hope you make it work......Pop

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:

Yes, my chicken door hinges down and turns into a ramp.
Things to consider:

Chickens poop and the poop turns into concrete-----I put rubber strips cut from an old inner tube to cover the hinges. Wahla-----the poop flexes and pops off every time I open and close the door.

Wood rots-----I put metal bolts in the door as "landing legs" and a concrete landing pad for them to strike as the ramp sits.

The Latch------Raccoons have hands; make sure the latch secures tightly enough to foil the evil masked bandits.

The footings------I tacked wood strips on to give the chickens a foothold and prevent a slippery surface when it rains.

 

[stone_family3]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/36435_chickencoop.jpg

Yes, my chicken door hinges down and turns into a ramp.
Things to consider:

Chickens poop and the poop turns into concrete-----I put rubber strips cut from an old inner tube to cover the hinges. Wahla-----the poop flexes and pops off every time I open and close the door.

Wood rots-----I put metal bolts in the door as "landing legs" and a concrete landing pad for them to strike as the ramp sits.

The Latch------Raccoons have hands; make sure the latch secures tightly enough to foil the evil masked bandits.

The footings------I tacked wood strips on to give the chickens a foothold and prevent a slippery surface when it rains.

Thanks for the suggestions and pics! My door will be bigger then my opening and will latch on the inside (there is no door in my run). It's also covered so getting wet isn't a very big issue. I did however plan on putting a patio paver down for it to rest on, I was just going to piece it together from pallet wood. I'll have to see if I have something to cover those hinges in the garage.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I used to have a pop hole door that was hinged on the bottom. The only reason we replaced it is because we changed to an automatic door that slides up and down.

It opened to the inside, so I could use a simple latch and still keep the raccoons out. I didn't want to have to fumble with locks outside, when it was -20 and getting dark. Since it was a hinged door, it adapted to the level of the deep litter.

On the outside, we've always had a stationary ramp, since the door is on the inside.

Although some people have had trouble with their chickens standing on the ramp and pooping on it, that was never a problem with our chickens. I think that's because my pop hole door was higher up in the wall, because the coop was designed for deep litter. The ramp was steeper than others I've seen and that makes the chickens less inclined to want to stand around on it. They just move along. Plus, mine can always look out the windows if they want to look outside, without going outside.

 

[kevlar]

here is mine

 

[Pharm Girl]

Here is my sister's coop. Her ramp is the door to the floor hole. My brilliant architect of a father designed it.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=50744

My little brooder coop (also with Archie McpPhee street light lens) has the ramp close up the whole front floor. It works.. This pic is with it open, but when you pull up the ramp, it becomes the floor.

...and closed...could work on a larger scale though.

 

[SweetPeaMcD]

This is what we're wanting to do with our coop... We're building an A-frame, and still trying to figure out the ramp. How do you make it secure from predators?

Cheryl

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

I would rather have a door that lifts up and stays clean and build a permanent ramp if that is what you want. My thought is that the shavings/straw/poo will eventually make closing icky to handle. Up stays clean down doesn't.

 

[mickey328]

We do. Our coop is raised so we have a trap door sort of affair in the floor. We put a pulley in from a crossbar and attached it to the door and back through a hole in the wall. We raise it after the girls go in for the night and let it back down at first light. The only "issue" is that they just love to kick the litter out, LOL. We put 1 x 4's around it though, so it's not too bad. It does get pooped on some, but so far, we've found it pretty easy to scrape off.





Don't have any photos specifically of the ramp, but here's a couple that sort of show it.