Coop entrance ramp - too steep?

[IdyllwildAcres]

36 sq ft 5 chickens.... thats only 6ish sq ft per chicken I do not see the room to grow you speak of......

Go big or go home, your wife said yes.

Gary

 

[Blue Eager]

I think it’s great you are using pressure treated lumber!

I do agree your base should be lower. No more than 2’ to 3’ which is plenty of room for access underneath for the chickens. If it’s higher than this the nesting box will be too high & difficult to access. This will lower your ramp significantly. The ramp should be a minimum of 2”x12”. Adding cleats every 5” will prevent the chickens from slipping on the way up.

Maybe you haven’t gotten to this point yet but I would definitely add 4”x4” posts to the base for support. 3 to a side should be good.

Here are two that I built...

 

[Blue Eager]

The other one...underneath the house can double as a pullet pen.

 

[aart]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think I may put in a landing that they can hop onto, as well as a shorter ramp up to the landing.

A 'porch' or landing area is always a good idea IMO,
even if your ramp goes straight out rather than 'sideways' like mine.

 

[jthornton]

I need to add a porch to my coop, that looks much better than just a ramp. So much to learn...

JT

 

[aart]

I need to add a porch to my coop, that looks much better than just a ramp. So much to learn...

JT

I have 'just a ramp' on my other pop door, ramp goes straight out.
It works ok ..but have had to 'massage' it for chicks.

then replace it for another batch of chicks, I put it up higher but should have done a porch(maybe this year?)

 

[itsalladream]

I think it’s great you are using pressure treated lumber!

I do agree your base should be lower. No more than 2’ to 3’ which is plenty of room for access underneath for the chickens. If it’s higher than this the nesting box will be too high & difficult to access. This will lower your ramp significantly. The ramp should be a minimum of 2”x12”. Adding cleats every 5” will prevent the chickens from slipping on the way up.

Maybe you haven’t gotten to this point yet but I would definitely add 4”x4” posts to the base for support. 3 to a side should be good.

Here are two that I built...

Thanks for the notes. As it is, it is 3' off the ground. I plan on having internal nesting boxes at floor level (may change to external at a later date, or may change it up before I finish). That side of the coop has 3' of head room. The roosting bars will go on the other side, which has 4' of head room. I figure 2 roosting bars for now, 6' long, one 2' off the floor, the other 1' off the floor. That will give me room to have ventilation well enough above their heads, or at least I think that should be the case.

A 'porch' or landing area is always a good idea IMO,
even if your ramp goes straight out rather than 'sideways' like mine.
View attachment 1312903

I like that. I think I may put my door in the middle, with a small porch, then a few feet 'sideways' to a landing, then straight out to the ground.

 

[aart]

then straight out to the ground

Leaving the low end of ramp off the ground will give you a better angle with less length...and protect the end of ramp from ground moisture.
Concrete blocks are might handy in the chicken yard....stumps/log cuts could work well too if large enough diameter to height ratio to be stable.