Coop is finished:)

[chuckzoo]

All you need is one brave soul - and the rest will follow suit.

 

[jaydweight]

So here is our coop and run combination. I know it looks ghetto but with limited funds and time, that's what we came up with. Im reposting here because I want you to see the ramp. My chickens don't end up in the coop at night. I have to coax them into it.

Do you think his ramp is okay? Too steep? Too many rungs? Runngs not separated enough? Give me your feedback.

 

[falinagirl]

This is the 4th day out for my mixed group (BR, BA, Leghorn. EE, Buff Orp, silkie). First night I had to crawl under the coop to get the EE and silkie

. Day 2 they all waited in line by the ramp and waited to be picked up. Day 3 all but the silkie had made their way into the coop on their own

. Today I have caught all of them but the silkie practicing on the ramp. I don't know how to get here to learn...

 

[jaydweight]

Quote:
I wish mine would learn. Im getting tired of crawling in there to help them.

 

[falinagirl]

I'm glad I only have had to do it that one time. My body was screaming at me the next day

 

[NevadaRon]

Last night (5th night out) all but one had gone into the coop on their own. Tonight, everyone was inside when I went out to check. Less than a week and training is complete!

Now, to your issue jaydweight. That ramp does look awfully long. On the other hand, I wouldn't want it to be any steeper.

That said, I do think that is the issue. It's very high off the ground from a chicken's standpoint. Here's what mine looks like (sorry I don't have any closeups) - it's 3 feet long but the angle may be a little steeper than yours.

Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer for you.

BTW, your coop is very nice - I wouldn't call it ghetto, I would call it a clever use of limited resources.

falinagirl I did the crawl with my first batch last year and ended up with a backache, too!

This year I got smart and blocked off the under coop area for the training period.

 

[jaydweight]

Quote:
Yeah I'm not sure what to do. I wanted the coop up high enough so it would be an easy clean. Just put the wheel barrow in front, open the coop, and scoop all the crud(fertilizer).

Do you think if I shortened the ramp they would be able to make it up? Or would it be too steep? Right now it's probably 40degrees. Or maybe I should do a double ramp that is sort of like a switchback ramp, kind of like the stairs that go up halfway and then turn. Would that work?

Or maybe, when I get my netting (to make the run higher) they will get the hang of flying onto the ramp and just going up? At least the netting will assist me, I won't have to bend over and put them on the ramp anymore

 

[Emmalion]

What I see in your pic is that the tarp may be to close for comfort for them. Its hard to see how much head room they have at the top of the ramp but they may be scared of it. If the wind makes it move it will make the situation worse for them at times. They come out just fine? I think I read that and I can see why they would because of the nice big open area at the bottom.

 

[jaydweight]

Quote:
I kind of thought that too. There's really only about a foot for them to pass by which isn't enough. I have seen them too get startled when the wind blows the tarp around. I can't wait for my netting to come next week then maybe that would solve my problem...

 

[leos-mama]

I had a silkie that just wouldnt go to bed - she used to sit on the top rung of the ramp but wouldnt go through the pop hole. I put her up and under every night for a week through the hole - to my surprise on day 8 she managed it herself. I did all the questioning, like ramp height, ramp angle, size of steps. I decided she was either an outside girl or a slow learner - We had a bit of a cold night and to my surprise when I went down the garden she had put herself to bed. Trust me when I say the learning phase was funny as I used to have to get on all fours to get to her to pop her up through the hole and she didnt like it one bit. I didnt decide if it was the cold weather or she got fed up of been manhandled up. Hopefully your girls will get a grip of it.