Chicken Coop Ramp

[KnitswithChickens]

We started to build our coop over the weekend. By Sunday night, when we finally attched the top to the bottom, we realized that when it comes time to build the ramp next weekend, it may be more of a slide as the angle is going to be pretty steep!

I think we went too high on the legs. So, my question is how much of a slope can chickens handle?

Any creative suggestions? Elevator perhaps?

Thanks.

 

[They Call Me Pete]

Mines pretty steep and all I did was nail some pieces across the 2x10 to form a latter. They have no problem using it. Making another one for my 7 week olds so they can go out/in by themselves.

 

[MaggieRae]

Put cinder blocks on each side so they can hop up and down from bottom to top. Kind of like stairs, just not all connected.

 

[speedy]

Here you can see my ramp http://3d4.de/projekthuhn/images/IMG_3401.JPG

I thought it might be too steep as well.

I got my chickens on a saturday, two of them. I guess they had been reared inside since hatching.

Although the door was opened for them very day they would not go out. So a week later I decided they needed some encouragement to use the ladder. I mixed the some nice mush food, spaggetti, cornaflakes, green stuff and went into the run with the bowl of mush and talked them down the ramp. Hey presto, they were out side for the first time and they loved it.

Then came the evening, and guess what? They would not go up the ramp.

They settle down on the ground under the coop to go to sleep. So I went into the run and sort of shoved them up the ramp until they were inside.

The next evening one went in the other still tried to sleep under the coop. Again I shoved the chicken up the ramp. On the 3rd evening the chicken that had no problems with ramp seemed to try to show the other how it worked.

Really, clucking away and going up the ramp and back down and eventually the 2nd chicken got the hang of it.

 

[Lorimary]

While staying up way too late to read BYC I just had to let you know that you ended my day with a laugh. I could just picture you coaxing your chix up and down the ramp. I guess our peers are the best teachers, even if our peer is another chicken! Have fun.
Quote:

 

[KnitswithChickens]

Thanks folks. I guess I'll see how the chickens manage and then may add the cindar block if necessary. I can see this is going to be a learning curve.